"Matinée in Arcachon," Pierre Bonnard, c.1930. Bonnard (1867-1947) is one of my favorites, and a part of my favorite school of art, the Nabis. The Nabis were postimpressionists who believed that art could be pleasant and decorative, incorporated into everyday life, and were big believers in intimate scenes. This is actually pretty unusual for Bonnard, as he loved doing interiors and small scenes, or paintings of his beloved wife Marthe; he's not much for landscapes. But here he's giving us a lovely seascape, depicting the morning sky over the Atlantic near the town of Arachon. There's the barest suggestion of a shoreline at the bottom, but the rest of the canvas is divided equally between the sea and the morning sky. ("Matinee" here refers to morning, not a daytime film showing!) Sailboats are already going out to see, presumedly to fish, and the unseen sun is touching the clouds on the horizon with its colors. A nice view for a summer's day, eh? Bonnard didn't paint from the life; he would either sketch or take a photograph, but this captures the moment quite well. From a private collection. #Art #PierreBonnard #LesNabis #Seascape #Morning #Summer