Lesquielles St Germain 1903

Henri Matisse made this oil painting called "Lesquielles St Germain" with greens and grays, ochres and oranges. It has a muted, unsettled feel to it, like a half-remembered place. I imagine he stood on that road, squinting, trying to nail the way the light diffused through the buildings. You know, painting isn't just about what you see, but how you feel about what you see. Look at those strokes describing the road, they are laid down one after the other, almost tenderly, as if feeling the earth. What's so great about the way he works is how he turns his looking into making. Matisse wasn't afraid to be a little awkward. The way he put the paint down is so open, raw, and unblended. It’s like he wants you to see him figuring it out, one stroke at a time. That’s how paintings speak to each other, across time, in this open and frank language. It makes you want to pick up a brush and join the conversation.