View of Notre Dame 1914

Matisse made this painting of Notre Dame with oils, working and reworking, the canvas probably shifting on the easel. The painting is dominated by blues—soft, chalky blues that feel like a washed out memory. It’s easy to imagine Matisse standing before his subject, trying to capture not just the likeness of the cathedral, but the feeling of being there, the light, the air. There's a looseness, an openness, like he's inviting us into his process. I think he's kind of wrestling with the architectural mass of the cathedral. He’s laying down these bold strokes, these decisive lines—it’s not about perfection. It's about the energy, the gesture. See that single, strong green shape—a tree perhaps, or a bush? It’s like a punctuation mark, or a little spark of life. It provides such a contrast, a zing. Matisse, like all of us painters, was in conversation with other painters. Each brushstroke is an exchange of ideas, and a way of seeing the world anew.