I have to admit, that when I heard the DeYoung Museum would be showing the work of Pierre Bonnard, I wasn't too excited. I generally find paintings that have every color in the spectrum difficult to look at and some of his work has that quality. After a painting colleague raved about the show and insisted I go see it, I decided to check it out. I wasn't disappointed and I was inspired.
Pierre Bonnard: Painting Arcadia located at the
Legion of Honor, was a wonderful show. Here are a few paintings that excited me:
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"Self-portrait of the Artist" 1930
watercolor, gouache, pencil |
I like the obscured face, and the freshness of the pencil work.
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"The Brothers Bernheim-Jeune" 1920
oil on canvas |
Yes, yellowish orange and purple are soooo complementary, but a splash of pink and the lovely darks make this a very enjoyable piece.
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"Pink Nude, Head in Shadow" 1919
oil on canvas |
I love the softness and pastel quality.
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"The Dressing Room" 1914-1921
oil on canvas |
I love seeing this figure with all the clear strokes of paint.
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| "Bathtub" 1930 |
I love the treatment of the water (bluish gray) with the pale whitish yellow figure.
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"Nude in an Interior" 1912-1914
oil on canvas |
And while this painting has almost every color of the rainbow, I love the shapes that defined the space. It had a
Diebenkorn Ocean Parkesque quality
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"Table Corner" 1935
oil on canvas |
Sadly, the colors aren't quite right - the "red" had more orange in it.
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"Women in the Garden" series
1890-1891
distemper on paper mounted on canvas |
I love the Japanese wood block feel these pieces have. And love the patterns.
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"Reading the Newspaper" 1912
oil on canvas |
So quiet, lovely and what sumptuous colors.
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"The Demanding Cat" 1912
oil on canvas |
How could i resist a demanding cat piece?
And only until April 11th, viewing of Raphael's painting, "Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn". Beautiful, masterful - how often do we see paintings of this calibre in San Francisco? Located in it's own viewing room, there is interesting text that accompanies this exhibit.
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| "Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn" |
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