Meisje voor een bloeiende struik 1898

Maurice Denis created this lithograph, "Girl before a flowering bush", using crayon, brush and scraper. He was a member of the Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist avant-garde French artists who set the course for much early twentieth-century painting. Denis and the Nabis thought that art should express the artist's subjective feelings, rather than simply represent the natural world. Notice how the girl in the image blends into the background, the woman and the blossoming bush seem part of a whole. It was produced in France where art institutions like the Académie des Beaux-Arts promoted traditional styles. In contrast, the Nabis sought to challenge the status quo by exploring new forms of expression. By engaging in subjective representation, Denis' lithograph reflects broader cultural shifts toward individualism and emotional expression. Understanding the art and theory of the Nabis enhances our appreciation for the radical experimentation that shaped early modern art.