Le Carrefour De Malabry 1917

Henri Matisse made this painting of a crossroads near Malabry, probably en plein air, using oil paint on canvas. You can see the painting process in his quick, decisive brushstrokes. He’s not trying to represent every detail, but rather capture the feeling of being in this place. The way he layers the greens is so evocative. Look closely at the lower left of the canvas. The dark, almost teal daubs of paint suggest the cool, damp earth of the forest floor. Notice how the brown of the path is scumbled on with the brush, rather than carefully applied? It’s this looseness that gives the painting its charm. This reminds me of the later work of Cezanne, especially his paintings of the forest near Aix. Like Cezanne, Matisse uses color and form to create a sense of depth and space, but he also leaves room for our imagination to wander. What is beyond those trees? I guess it's for us to decide.