Preparatory Sketch for ‘The Bowl of Milk’ c. 1919

Curator: Pierre Bonnard, born in 1867, created this pencil sketch, “Preparatory Sketch for ‘The Bowl of Milk’,” which now resides in the Tate Collections. Editor: It has a ghostly, almost tentative presence. I feel like I’m peering into a memory, something not quite formed. Curator: Bonnard often captured intimate, domestic scenes, blurring boundaries between public and private spheres, reality and memory. The bowl of milk itself becomes a symbol of domesticity and maternal care. Editor: Milk has been a symbol of purity and nourishment for millennia. The quick strokes feel like a visual shorthand, evoking these deep-seated associations almost unconsciously. Curator: The sketch might imply the socio-economic background of his subjects. Was this scene a depiction of bourgeoise domesticity, or a representation of a more humble home? Editor: Regardless of background, the repetition of circular forms—the bowl, the cup—hints at cyclical time, daily rituals performed again and again. The bowl is never empty. Curator: True, and looking at it now, I'm wondering how Bonnard's preliminary sketch connects to his broader artistic and social vision. Editor: I appreciate how the sketch invites us to consider the emotional weight of the simplest objects.