His face is deformed, almost like a circus freak, and he gestures rudely with his thumb at the woman. It is uncertain if he is doing this with approval or disapproval. The dwarf's gesture is crude and impolite, given that he is openly pointing at the woman. His necktie also seems to mark his status as lower-class, as is the fact that he seems to be picking his teeth with his other hand. The woman holds a magazine in her hand, evidently the Review that the drawing is designed to publicize. She seems unaware or untroubled by the pointing thumb. In the background hover the many names of other publications in an impressionistic, sparsely depicted drawing of a newsstand, from which evidently the fashionable beauty has selected as her choice. There is also a looming, dark figure in the background that subsumes most of the dwarf's shape, except for his hands, necktie, and face. This figure may be the newsstand vendor, or simply a passer-by in the distance or perhaps simply a shadow. The darkness of the background figure reduces the dwarf's character to his ugly face, rude gestures, and rough clothing. The darkness of background shape makes the woman's beautiful face and eyes even more evident. Beauty and youth choose the publication, the illustration seems to suggest. The actual title of the issue and mundane details are located in small letterings above the sketchily drawn newsstand, almost as an afterthought. Thus, although Bonnard was not above letting his art serve commercial interests, and even celebrated art's potential to bleed into conventional...

One reason Bonnard's work is still powerful today is although the products he advertised no longer exist, his stylistic composition and the unique and haunting nature of his figures live on.
The magazine the White Review has folded, but viewers still wonder about the relationship between the two figures in the drawing. What is the relationship between an ugly, poor dwarf and a society beauty? Does the dwarf feel contempt for her or attraction? Is the dwarf's gesture sexual? Does the dwarf approve of her choice of magazine or sneer at it? And does the woman notice the dwarf, and if so, why does she not feel revulsion? Like all great works of art, Bonnard's artistry provokes questions as well as causes the gazer to see the world anew.

Works Cited

Brenson., Michael. "Review/Art; Bonnard's Graphics Illuminate His Entire Output."

Dec 1989. The New York Times. 4 Mar 2008. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFDB1F3AF935A35751C1A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Wye, Deborah. Artists and Prints: Masterworks from the Museum of Modern Art.

New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2004, p. 32. Excerpted by Susan Suzuki. "Pierre Bonnard La Revue blanche (the White Review). 1894." MoMa.org. 2007. 4 Mar 2008. http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3ADE%3AI%3A2&page_number=18&template_id=1&sort_order=1