La Seine à Paris, Pont du Carrousel
- Artist: Pierre Bonnard
- Date: 1922
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “La Seine à Paris, Pont du Carrousel” by Pierre Bonnard. Painted in 1922, it shows a view from the Pont Royal, looking across the Seine toward the Pont du Carrousel, one of Paris’s first cast‑iron bridges that debuted in 1834. In the distance you can spot the soaring towers and spire of Notre‑Dame, lending a sense of scale and historic contrast.
Bonnard revisited this scene almost two decades after his first rendering of it, but here he shifts from his earlier, more muted tones to a sumptuous palette of mauve, yellow and pink. The colors feel almost lacquered, a nod to his fascination with Japanese prints. He flattens the space, focusing on decorative patterns and the interplay of color rather than realistic depth, which makes the scene feel both modern and timeless.
Notice how the bridge’s iron ribs are rendered with bright, almost translucent strokes, while the river itself glows with a soft yellow. The sky, a gentle mauve, mirrors the colors in the water, tying everything together. It’s a brilliant example of how Bonnard blended traditional subject matter with a fresh, decorative vision that still feels grounded in Parisian history.
See it in person
La Seine à Paris, Pont du Carrousel hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
