Bouquet on a Bamboo Table 1903

Henri Matisse made this painting of a bouquet on a bamboo table with oil on canvas. Look at how the paint is laid down; each brushstroke feels like a decision, a moment of seeing and responding. The texture is so alive, isn't it? Thick in some spots, like the impasto dabs that build up the petals, and then thin and washy in the background. It’s like he's sculpting with color. The way he captures light reflecting on the vase with just a few strokes of white is pretty special. It's all about the physicality of the medium, how it can evoke an emotional space. I’m drawn to the way the edges of the flowers soften and dissolve into the background, as if he’s more interested in the feeling of the flowers than in their precise form. Matisse reminds me a lot of Bonnard, both are masters of color and light, but Matisse has this incredible confidence in his mark-making that feels so contemporary. It's this ongoing conversation across time, isn’t it? We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to find new ways of seeing.