wandbilder abstrakte kunst moderne malerei auf metall
my dear bonnard, i take pleasure in writing you that my first thought this morning was of you. i still have a very precise memory of your work. i am delighted by it. henri matisse matisse and bonnard are two artists you don’t usually think of in a single thought – one of them the last impressionist, the other a pioneer of modernism. what few people know is
is that they were very close friends for more than 40 years. the first documented postcard came from amsterdam in 1925. and the fantastic thing about it is that it says nothing except: long live painting, in friendship, henri matisse. the wonderful prelude to a correspondence that lasted until 1946. my dear matisse, when i think of you, i think of a spirit freed of all traditional aesthetic convention. the greatest luck that can befall a painter.
it can be said of both artists that they self-confidently departed from the avant-garde currents of their day. they consistently adhered to representation – that is, figural painting. there are many interiors with depictions of women, light-flooded mediterranean landscapes, still lifes – and above all the female nude. naturally, the juxtaposition of our own bonnard with a closely related work by matisse is especially suspenseful. in 1909, bonnard painted his lover and later wife marthe
lying on a blue-and-white plaid. and in 1935 – in other words many years later – matisse painted a very similar subject. then you learn that the painting by bonnard remained in his possession all his life. so it’s possible that, for his work, matisse took inspiration from the work now in frankfurt. bonnard’s and matisse’s nudes are entirely different in terms of mood. the most obvious reason is that matisse always worked with professional models,
and bonnard painted almost only his own life partner and later wife marthe de meligny. the truth is that a painter exists only with palette in hand, and then does what he can. beautiful weather and beautiful work, henri matisse. apart from the nude, it was above all the interior, the still life,
but also the landscape. there are relatively few landscapes by matisse; bonnard painted a great many. but when you take a closer look at matisse’s works, you’ll find an open window in every interior with a view of the landscape – the light, the sun of southern france that was so inspiring for both artists. a typical feature of bonnard’s works of this period
are the glowing colours. but also the very thickly applied brushstroke. one reason they were considered such great pioneers of french painting in their day is that both were very great colourists. your two paintings decorate (that’s the word) my dining room. every day i notice something new, and i thank you for this pleasure and this instruction.
all yours, bonnard the friendship between bonnard and matisse was truly a friendship built on mutual trust, appreciation, sympathy and recognition. this is the first major exhibition devoted to the iconic artists’ friendship between two of the 20th century’s greatest painters. and what you see in the show is that bonnard as we know him never would have existed without matisse,
and matisse as we know him never would have existed without bonnard.