In the Provençal Jug (1930) Bonnard imposes his presence as not only observer of a scene but also as director of our own observation by delaying visual perception. Moving beyond the vase to explore the edges of the canvas, an the arm appears to the right. Bonnard leads us to this discovery through the zigzag patterning on the cuff and shirtsleeve. And there is a further surprise in store. When you focus on the arm and catch the main subject out of the corner of your eye, all of a sudden, the somewhat flat image of the jug and bouquet transforms into a tangible, three-dimensional group of objects in space. Knowing that reality shifts as we continue to look at something, Bonnard wrote, "A strict compartmentalizing of one's vision nearly always produces something false. The second stage of composition involves integrating certain elements which are outside that rectangle." ©1998 The Museum of Modern Art, New York