Early Spring (Little Fauns) 1909

Pierre Bonnard made "Early Spring (Little Fauns)" with oil on canvas, and you can see it today in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Bonnard wasn't so interested in details, but in evoking a feeling, using these really close-valued greens, yellows, and browns. He gets a lot from a little. Check out how he applied the paint, thinly, almost like a stain, allowing the canvas to breathe through. It's not about hiding the process but revealing it, like the canvas is part of the color. I love the foreground, how those dense strokes of yellow and gold seem to vibrate. They're just these small jabs of color, but together they create a field of energy, like the earth itself is alive. Bonnard reminds me a little of Vuillard in the way he's playing with pattern and color, but he’s more interested in the emotional impact of a scene, and less in the decorative qualities. It's a painting that invites you to get lost in it, to wander around and discover new things each time. It shows us that art isn’t about having all the answers, but about embracing the questions.