Landscape in Normady 1920

Curator: Pierre Bonnard's "Landscape in Normandy," painted around 1920, offers an interesting look at the materiality of Impressionism. The canvas breathes with visible brushstrokes of oil paint. Editor: Ah, the haziness hits me first, almost a humid, dreamlike quality! Like stepping into a childhood memory of a perfect summer day. Curator: Consider the plein-air approach here; Bonnard sought to capture fleeting moments of light. But it wasn't merely observation, it involved a production process, selecting pigments, preparing the surface to translate sensory experiences to canvas. How much does the depicted landscape actually figure as "the subject"? Editor: Good point! The real subject is the feeling of the landscape, isn't it? The way the sunlight dapples through leaves, the almost overwhelming sensation of nature pressing in. I imagine the texture of the canvas, the way the paint must feel thick in some places and almost watery in others... You know, it almost tickles the fingertips just to imagine! Curator: Bonnard also blurred lines between domestic interiority and landscape painting. What are the historical production and social expectations placed on artists like Bonnard that push them to focus on landscape? Is it really such a far cry from studio work? Consider transportation of supplies, materials, reception from critics... Editor: All the same, those blues just give me chills! Not in a bad way, but almost like diving into a hidden pool in the middle of the woods, feeling the shock of cool water envelop you... he knew exactly which colors could transmit a sensation! Curator: And did the artist or his material conditions tell him? Where does agency really lie in the means of making art, and how has that changed over time? Editor: I suppose it is an age-old question, is it not? It's why his Normandy landscapes make me so wistful! It gets you wondering just who painted the paintings, where was the source and motivation for all these pretty things?