Pierre Bonnard was a member of the “Nabi” art group. In his paintings he naturally combined the techniques of modernism, allowing him to explore his interest in ornamental decorative painting, and the impressionistic approach. However, unlike impressionists, he did not aim to create in his paintings illusions of scenes spotted in real life. He often pointed out that a painting should be a universe unto itself. To him, nature was only a source of inspiration to help the artist reflect a sensational poetic image. Color and paint were more important to Bonnard than light. In his paintings a paint spot is valuable in and of itself. Mirror Above a Washstand is a painting that belongs to many genres. It is a still life with a vanity table, a domestic scene with a nude in the mirror, and to some degree, a portrait – the sitting girl resembles Marthe Boursin, who later became Pierre Bonnard’s wife.
The artist achieves a fusion of genres by filling the space of the canvas with decorations. At the same time, the mirror serves as a limitation of space rather than an illusion of space expansion. All of the details in the composition are arranged in the plane of the canvas into a self-contained cadenced system. The gleaming grayish-silver hues dominating the painting transform the canvas into precious fabric. This masterpiece belonged to Ivan Morozov in the early 20th century and became a favorite artwork of Valentin Serov, the Russian painter.