Composition with Nasturtiums 1906

Olga Boznanska’s painting of nasturtiums is a symphony of earthy tones and vibrant pops of orange, like a secret garden blooming in twilight. I imagine Boznanska layering the paint, coaxing the image into being through touch and intuition. See how the brushstrokes dance across the canvas, thick and thin, creating a textured surface that invites your fingertips? The painting feels like a conversation, a call and response between the artist and her materials. Notice the vertical strokes in the upper section, like saplings swaying in the breeze. Then your eye is drawn to the profusion of orange blossoms tumbling over one another in the vase. It reminds me of Bonnard, maybe Vuillard—that late 19th-century pursuit of fleeting impressions and intimate glimpses into domestic life. It’s this ongoing dialogue that makes painting such a living, breathing thing, don’t you think?