Skyggen 1942

This sketch, Skyggen, was made by Pierre Bonnard at an unknown date with graphite on paper. Looking at the stark contrast between the delicate lines of the room and the dark, scribbled form in the foreground, you can really see Bonnard thinking through the process of looking. It's like he’s asking, how do we see shadow, how do we give it form? The texture created by the graphite is amazing, almost velvety in the shadow and light as a feather everywhere else. Those marks really create the emotional punch of the piece – the shadow is so heavy and present. It reminds me of Vuillard, another artist interested in domestic spaces and the psychological weight they hold. Both artists understood that art is an ongoing conversation, never really offering us fixed meanings, only glimpses.