Oceania, the Sky 1946

Henri Matisse made this print called Oceania, the Sky with cut paper shapes. It's almost like looking up at the sky through the ocean, or maybe the other way around. I love how simple it is, just these off-white shapes floating on a tan background. I can imagine Matisse moving the cut-outs around, trying different arrangements, maybe pinning them to a board before deciding on this final composition. It’s kind of a flat space but the shapes feel like they’re moving and hovering. You can see how he distilled things to their essence. Those bird shapes are so elegant, and the plant shapes are like little explosions, and the seaweeds so strange! There's a sense of joy and freedom in it. Matisse was an innovator in finding new ways to express himself through shape and color. It makes me want to get into the studio and see what new images I can find. Painting feels like an ongoing conversation, right?