Pierre Bonnard, Morning In Paris, 1911

Born in upper-middle class family, Bonnard studied and worked in law as he was told to do at the beginning of his life. He has also, of course, taken art classes on the side and soon decided to take off with his painting and become an artist. He first was shown in an independent exhibition and continued to show in random exhibitions. He became known for his wild use of color and his wicked brush stroke technique using said color. Also, he would draw the pieces he wished to make or even photograph them, make note of the color he wished to use, and then begin painting. He painted a wide variety of themes -  kitchens, bathtubs, or nudes using his wife, or street scenes, landscapes, and still lifes.

This piece, Morning in Paris, shows his Impressionist technique in the movement of the piece and stays true to his own delicate strokes for the detail in the background with the tree and the buildings as well. I really enjoy his use of colors, and feel warm when I look at it on a clearly cold day by the bare trees and the bundled characters. But when you look at the faces, sure they are brushed like any impressionist would do at the time, no one is looking up or appearing happy. The three girls to the left are looking down and sideways and the center one looks quite sad to me. This also matches the expression to the woman on the right. Even the little girl in the center looks left behind or stranded. So I guess you could say Bonnard tricked me. Even though I love his sky and the piece looks full of life, none of these characters appear much like morning people to me.