Pieds-D’alouette Et Géraniums c. 1906

Édouard Vuillard made this painting of larkspur and geraniums with oil on canvas, and, to me, the colours feel warm and enveloping like a blanket. The brushstrokes are visible, they are quite intimate and direct, especially in the thick impasto of the flowers themselves, so the physicality of the paint becomes part of the viewing experience. You can almost feel the motion of his hand and the pressure he exerted on the brush, as if we're glimpsing a moment of the artist's energy frozen in time. The surface is not concealed, which gives the painting a raw, honest quality. Look at the way Vuillard renders the geraniums - they are like small bursts of raw energy, each petal a testament to the artist's careful attention, inviting you to see how Vuillard saw. There's something so generous in his approach, recalling the work of Pierre Bonnard, a close friend of his, with their mutual interest in domestic interiors. Ultimately, this painting reminds us that art is an ongoing dialogue.