A fascination for the Mediterranean
Immerse yourself in the colors of this shining sea which has served as one of the great inspirations for the creation and development of modern art.
Art
“I have had a vision as if from One thousand and one nights. The sea, the yellow walls, the reflections as colorful as the lights”. In a letter to his mother in 1905, Pierre Bonnard describes the emotions that the magnificence of the Mediterranean elicited in him. In this dream-like state, which many of the most important artists of his day also experienced, Bonnard succeeded in capturing the bright light and color of the Mediterranean on his canvasses, reinterpreting Le Canet’s landscapes.
The Mediterranean’s intense light offered painters at the turn of the 20th century the essence of a common culture that spoke of tradition and primitivism, but also acted as a springboard for modernity. The Mediterranean as a reconciliation with the past but also as a place of artistic freedom which many artists believed was a revival of Arcadia.