Vase D’anémones Sur Fond Bleu 1912

Henri Lebasque made this painting of anemones on a blue background with oil on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes swirling and dancing across the canvas. Imagine him, standing there, maybe a bit nervous, trying to catch the light just right. The blue feels moody, almost like a stage, and those flowers are putting on a show, each one a little different, a little off-kilter. The vase is a pale echo of the blooms. It is grounded but has some texture going on, like an old pot you’d find in the garden shed. The artist makes me think of Bonnard, but more melancholy. It’s like he’s whispering secrets with those colors, maybe about the fleeting beauty of things or the quiet joy of a simple moment. We are all in a dialogue through our paintings. It’s not about getting it ‘right,’ but feeling something, and maybe, just maybe, making someone else feel it too.