Pierre Bonnard and Color

I never get tired of talking about color.  It holds the power to enliven, depress, demand attention or recede…which, plainly put, never ceases to astound me.  Color discoveries aren’t always easy to come by, but when they happen it’s like magic.  What is more beautiful than the right combination of colors?  I recently came across a brilliant French artist named Pierre Bonnard who lived from the late 1800’s to the mid 1900’s.  After seeing some of his work during last week’s trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and I had to highlight his brilliant use of color.  He’s known worldwide for it and his work begged to be shared.  Whether he’s chosen muted, bright or a unique combo of both types of colors, his pieces literally dazzle.  His technique favors Van Gogh, but it’s color that sets him apart.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces.