Esquisse pour le ‘Jeu de volant’ ; Le bois sacré 1900

Curator: This is "Esquisse pour le ‘Jeu de volant’ ; Le bois sacré," or "Sketch for Shuttlecock; The Sacred Grove" by Maurice Denis, created in 1900. It's a watercolor that really captures the essence of the Nabis movement. Editor: "Sacred" is right, the grove feels ethereal. Almost otherworldly, with these elegant figures bathed in a soft, pastel light. Makes you feel like you're peeking into a dream. Curator: The composition's fascinating. The way Denis uses the vertical lines of the trees to create a sense of depth, while the figures are almost flattened, existing between the foreground and background. It's a deliberate subversion of traditional perspective. Editor: They're definitely not grounded in reality! Those floating gowns, the pale faces… I get a real sense of mystery. Are they sprites, ghosts, figures from a classical myth perhaps? Or simply very well-dressed women enjoying an afternoon. Curator: Knowing Denis, there’s certainly symbolic intent. As part of Les Nabis, he was deeply invested in exploring spirituality and emotions through form and color. It reflects the shift in artistic thinking where paintings ceased to be simply a window into reality. They became an equivalent of the artist’s subjective experience. Editor: Right, not just what's there, but what it *means* to be there, in that sacred grove. That kind of languid, melancholic beauty... It reminds me of hazy summer afternoons, a feeling that lingers instead of a place perfectly remembered. Curator: And look at the loose brushwork, almost like he wanted to dematerialize everything, further enhancing that ethereal atmosphere you mentioned. This particular work served as a sketch for a larger decorative panel commissioned by Denys Cochin. Editor: Ah, so a sketch leading to something even bigger. It makes me want to see the completed piece, but this already has such a potent immediacy. You catch the feeling without all the details crowding the canvas. It whispers its secrets instead of shouting them. Curator: Indeed. It beautifully demonstrates the Nabis' interest in synthetism, simplifying forms to convey emotional and spiritual ideas. Editor: I'm now left pondering what exactly makes a grove "sacred"? Is it inherent to nature, or projected onto it by the humans frolicking there? Curator: Perhaps the ambiguity is precisely the point, allowing us to ponder our own notions of the sacred within nature. Editor: Exactly. A fleeting image in a watercolor leaving long-lasting thoughts... Pretty good trick if you ask me!