Bonnard's Self-Portrait in the Bathroom Mirror (1943-6) obviously depicts a reflection --we see the mirror's border to the right and the clamp attaching it to the wall--and he thus manages to restrict our entrance into the painting. Aware of the path of our gaze, Bonnard preys upon our instinct to seek the sitter's eyes when first looking at the image. Dark recesses greet us where his eyes should be. This denial of access and the overall muted colors of the painting add to the sinister nature of this depiction. Our eyes are forced to wander over Bonnard's frail, sinewy body. His flat figure, its lack of shadows and modeling, and the lack of receding space within the room increase the claustrophobic atmosphere of the work. The shallow shelf with toiletries beneath the mirror and the subtle detail of molding behind Bonnard are our only diversions in this tightly cropped space. Bonnard forces the viewer to witness the intimate but simultaneously denies access to this intimacy. And within this harrowing image, he celebrates the sheer beauty of the multicolored paint. In 1946, the year he stopped working on this self-portrait, Bonnard wrote, "I hope that my painting will endure... . I should like to present myself to the young painters of the year 2000 with the wings of a butterfly." He completed the painting one year before his death. ©1998 The Museum of Modern Art, New York