The Open Window 1921

Henri Matisse's painting, The Open Window, is made with oil on canvas and pulses with the violet hues of dawn or dusk. You can see Matisse feeling his way into the painting, wiping away, adding, and adjusting. I imagine Matisse standing before his easel, gazing out the window, brush in hand. It's like he’s thinking about Cezanne, or maybe he's just trying to remember what it feels like to be alive. The paint is creamy and sensuous, almost good enough to eat. Look at that stroke of lavender that defines the horizon line – so simple, yet so evocative. And the way he suggests the foliage with just a few flicks of green, it's pure magic! I love how Matisse just went for it, embracing the messiness and uncertainty of painting. Painters are always talking to other painters, and I wonder which open window inspired this one.