Misia 1908

Pierre Bonnard painted Misia with oils on canvas, and look how the marks revel in the making. It's like Bonnard is saying, "Hey, this is paint, and I’m gonna show you how I push it around." The texture is so alive, almost vibrating. The strokes of color, thick in some spots and thin in others, they build up the figure of Misia, her dress. There's a feeling of immediacy, like the painting was made in a frenzy of looking and feeling. Notice the way the blacks and dark blues of her fur contrast with the pinks and golds of her dress; it’s a dance of opposites. I’m reminded of Vuillard, another painter with a taste for the intimate, domestic scene, but Bonnard’s got a looser touch, a kind of joyful abandon. Art, after all, isn't about having all the answers, it's about embracing the questions.