"During my morning walks I amuse myself by defining our various concepts of landscapes, "space" landscape, intimate landscape, decorative landscape, etc. But each day I take in different elements, the sky, the objects, everything is constantly changing, one could end up drowning in it. But it enables us to live". (Pierre Bonnard, 1940)

Landscapes played an essential role in the work of Pierre Bonnard. His landscapes are what distinguish him. To him, conversing with nature became equivalent to conversing with paint. "I invent nothing, I just look", said he. Bonnard cultivated this gift for observation daily during his rambles over the hills behind his house. These were moments in which he "took in life". Always with a notebook and pencil at hand, he wrote down, in detail or with a single word, an indication of the weather – "fine", "rain", "hail shower", "in fine but chilly weather there is vermilion in the orange shadows and purple in the grey ones" –, his thoughts, his reflections and pencils in spontaneous sketches.

During his time in Le Cannet (1926-1947), Bonnard reached surprising heights of audacity and lyricism. He sought to grasp space in its entirety through immediate sensation which he translated onto the canvas via shape and drawing. He created a wonderful palette in which mauves, lilacs, the most intense blues, yellows, bright pinks, deep greens, ardent reds and oranges blended and opposed each other.

This walk is a way of entry into the painter's universe, into his exploration of landscapes and the light of the Midi. Bonnard explored all the artistic possibilities offered by his house Le Bosquet, as well as by the views of the Cannet landscapes, the red roofs, the panorama over the Esterel mountains and the sea. This walk is thus an important part of the museum's project. It completes the presentation of Bonnard's work in the museum by inviting the visitor to continue discovering the artist through his environment.

Bonnard is one of the painters of the "L'itinéraire sur les pas des grands maîtres" project (Following in the footsteps of the great masters) implemented on the Côte d'Azur. You will be able to see for yourself the exceptional views immortalised by Bonnard in his paintings Ciel d'orage sur Cannes (Stormy skies over Cannes), Paysage du Cannet (Le Cannet landscape), La Route Rose (The pink way), Paysage du Midi (Midi landscape)... displayed on six lecterns spread out over Le Cannet.