Bonnard's Parallèlement ranks as the first important artist's book of the twentieth century because of its publisher, Ambroise Vollard, its innovative fusion of text and image, and its literary notoriety. Bonnard's inspired choice of a delicate pink for his lithographs counterbalances Verlaine's musing on love while at the same time suggesting the Rococo splendor of red-chalk drawings by Boucher and Watteau. The incredible marriage of Verlaine's poetry and Bonnard's images set a new standard for deluxe books that has rarely been surpassed.