Art Quotes

Pierre Bonnard Quote - Art Therapy Quote

 
Pierre Bonnard - Model in Backlight

Here’s a great art quote by Pierre Bonnard that speaks to the therapeutic nature of art.

“Painting has to get back to its original goal, examining the inner lives of human beings.”

Painting, and art in general, is often a reflection of the lives of people. Sometimes the reflection represents the lives of the people in the artwork and sometimes it represents the life of the artist. Examining art and what it represents is nothing new. Art therapy expands on this concept to examine the life of the artist.

About Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, born on October 3, 1867. He was the son of a prominent official of the French Ministry of War. Bonnard studied law but attended art classes on the side.

In his 20’s Bonnard joined a group of young artists that were committed to creating symbolic and spiritual artwork. He is known for his intense use of colors, especially with small brushmarks and close values. His art is often narrative and autobiographical containing sunlit interiors with friends and family.

You can read more about Pierre Bonnard and see more of his work here:
Art Institute of Chicago - Images of his work.
Wikipedia - More information about Pierre Bonnard and some of his work.
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco - Images of Pierre Bonnard’s work.

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Stéphane Mallarmé Quote About Art & Painting

Painting not the thing, but its effect. - Art quote by Stéphane Mallarmé

I welcome you to the first of hopefully more explorations into art quotes and art-related quotes. I haven’t decided if this will be a regular thing or not, but we will feature a quote about art and who said it. Then, we’ll briefly explore thoughts about the art quote. I encourage you to leave a comment and offer up any additional insight or thoughts about the quote as it’s always good to have different perspectives :).

These art quotes may not always be directly linked to art therapy, but they’ll always be about art in some way. So, back to the quote by Stéphane Mallarmé…”Painting not the thing, but its effect.”

I think what Stéphane Mallarmé was trying to get across here is that art is meant to have an effect on its audience. Sure, you can paint a beautiful mountain scene, but are you just painting a beautiful mountain scene, or are you painting the effect the beautiful mountain scene has on you?

Read more about Stéphane Mallarmé here and here.

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