My Room at the Beau-Rivage 1918

Henri Matisse made this painting, “My Room at the Beau-Rivage,” sometime around 1904 using oil on canvas, and what strikes me is how Matisse makes the ordinary feel so incredibly alive. Look at the surface. It’s not about hiding the paint, but letting it breathe. The walls are these quick, confident strokes of yellow that somehow feel both flat and full of light. Then there's that red rug, a sea of small, patterned marks, pulling you right into the room, and the curtains with that delicate lace! It’s like he’s inviting us to consider the joy of a simple view. It reminds me a bit of Bonnard, actually, that sense of intimacy and seeing the world through color. What both artists share is an understanding of how to make paintings that embrace the everyday as something extraordinary, and that is so much of what art is, taking the daily and making it new.