Beyond the Easel: Decorative Painting by Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis, and Roussel, 1890–1930

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		April, 1892 Maurice Denis (French, 1870–1943) Oil on canvas; 15 x 24 in. (37.5 x 61 cm) Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands

In 1892, the year after Bonnard displayed Decorative Panels 1. 2. 3. 4. Maurice Denis submitted the series, Poetic Subjects to the Salon des Indépendants. Since each of the four paintings is named for a month, art historians have interpreted them as representing a different "season" in the life of a young woman. April, in which girls in white choose flowers for their bouquets, may symbolize first communion. The young women strolling through a park in July (Fondation Rau, Switzerland) perhaps allude to the freedom of youth. In September women on a terrace await the arrival of their "knights" (Denis was interested in medieval poetry at the time), and in October a bride holds a bouquet under a canopy of autumnal leaves. Denis returned to these traditional themes of love and marriage throughout his career.