Le Carrefour De Malabry 1917

Henri Matisse must have been standing en plein air when he made this painting of a wooded intersection. I can see the way the brushstrokes dance, light catching on the leaves and dappling the forest floor. I imagine Matisse, squinting a little, trying to capture the essence of the place, making marks that almost feel like breathing. The greens are layered, mixed, some strokes thick, some thin, creating a vibrating surface. There’s a certain boldness, a confidence in each stroke, like he’s not trying to copy nature, but to converse with it. Look how the blues and yellows peek through, adding depth and light. He's part of a chain, each artist learning from and responding to those who came before. Painting is so cool, because it’s a continuous exploration, without fixed answers. It’s a conversation between the painter, the painting, and, eventually, us.