Sombre Nude 1941

Pierre Bonnard painted this "Sombre Nude" with oil on canvas, and the way he’s built up the surface is really striking. The paint isn't just on the canvas, it's like it’s become the canvas. The skin tones are not just pink or brown, but this shimmering field of yellows, reds, and oranges. Look closely at the brushstrokes. Notice how they're not blended, but laid down side by side, almost like tiles. It's this mosaic of color that gives the painting its vibrancy. The blues above her head and in the bottom left of the piece add to this vibrancy. Bonnard wasn't just painting a figure; he was painting light itself. It puts me in mind of Cezanne, who was likewise interested in deconstructing light and form. Both painters share an interest in how we really see. They both seem to suggest that seeing is a constructive process of piecing together the world around us. There's no single way to see this painting – and I love it for that.