Moroccan Landscape 1913

Henri Matisse painted this landscape of Morocco with oil on canvas. Looking at those loose brushstrokes and vibrant blues and greens, I can almost feel Matisse standing there, squinting in the bright sunlight, trying to capture the essence of this exotic place. I imagine him mixing up a juicy green, then slashing it across the canvas to suggest the thick foliage. And check out that purple tree trunk! Matisse isn't afraid to go bold, is he? I bet he was thinking, "Why should a tree be brown when it can be a party in purple?" It reminds me of his cut-outs, actually. How he just went for it, simplifying shapes and colors to get to the heart of what he wanted to express. And that's what painting is all about, isn't it? This constant back-and-forth, like a conversation between artists happening across decades. Each one egging the other on to be more daring, more honest, more themselves.