Bonnard & Hopper - Off the Wall Friday

Pierre Bonnard

Every year when I get ready for my week at Quilting by the Lake, there always seem like a million things to do.  This year, my teacher Judi Blayden asked us to prepare pre-class homework.  Not only where we to pick the paintings we wanted to abstract but also to do a little research into the painters.

Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947)

As a French painter and printmaker, he was one of the founders of the Post Impressionist group, Las
Nabis.  His work, which has a dream like quality, often featured domestic scenes featuring his wife and family.  He used vibrant bold colors to not only express the actual scene itself but also the complex imagery he wanted to express.  He is regarded as the greatest  colorists of modern art. 

Since one of my true loves is to play with color, I think that's why I was instantly drawn to Bonnard's work.  In The Dining Room in the Country, he slides masterly from the cool colors of the exterior to the warm colors of the interior, evoking a sentimental  - at home kind of feeling.  The goal of my abstraction is to play with moving cool colors to warm.

Dining Room in the Country

Edward Hopper (1882 - 1967)

 An American painter whose realistic views of  urban scenes shock the viewer into recognition of the
strangeness of familiar surroundings.  His  realistic  scenes of everyday life  mostly conveyed a mood of loneliness, isolation and anonymity.  He continued with his figurative work although the trend during the mid 20th century was abstract.

I have always been drawn to Hopper's work.  There is always a sense of mystery in his painting which makes me want to ask why are these people so lonely?  I love how he uses architectural lines to solidify his scenes.  The goal of my abstraction will be to play with architectural features and to create a sense of mystery.

Chop Suey

Okay homework done! 

So what have been up to Creatively?