Still Life with Lemons 1914

Henri Matisse made this painting, Still Life with Lemons, with what looks like some fairly simple oil paint, and a direct way of applying it. Look at the surface texture – you can really see the marks of the brushstrokes, creating a tactile surface. It's like Matisse is saying, "Hey, this is paint!" The colors are not subtle, but they have got a kind of zing to them, especially that clear blue against the bright yellows of the lemons. I love the way he paints the lemons as simple ovals of yellow. He’s not trying to trick us into thinking they're real lemons; he’s showing us how he sees them, how he feels about them. You could compare this kind of reduction of form to artists like Morandi, but Morandi’s all about tonal subtleties, whereas Matisse is unafraid to go bright and bold. For Matisse, it’s all about the joy of painting, the joy of seeing.