Petite Plage avec Joujou Bonnier 1911

Maurice Denis made this painting of a small beach with Joujou Bonnier using oil paints. Right away, I see how the world is made of marks, spots and dabs of colour, laid down with a kind of relaxed, tender touch. The way he blends the mauves, oranges, and blues makes the scene look both dreamlike and solid. Look at the way the paint sits on the canvas – it's not trying to hide itself. You can almost feel the brushstrokes, the gentle nudges of colour against each other, especially in the area where the sand meets the sea. It’s like he's inviting us to think about how the painting itself is made, how colours interact and give each other life. This reminds me a bit of Bonnard, in that way that it feels like a memory. It feels less about capturing an exact scene and more about evoking a mood, a feeling of warmth and nostalgia. And it’s a good reminder that art isn’t just about what you see, but how you feel when you look.