An Nude Dtanding Before An Open Door 1936

Henri Matisse made this oil painting, "An Nude Standing Before An Open Door," with a lively touch. The pink flesh tones meet a playful arrangement of stripes and geometric shapes. Matisse's strokes aren't about hiding; they're out in the open. The paint isn't trying to be smooth or perfect, which shows a real love for the process. It's like he's letting us in on the secret of making art. Look closely at the lower left-hand corner of the canvas, where the cross-hatched purple squares of the wall meet the woman’s leg. It’s not quite a leg and not quite a wall - the ambiguity of this shape asks us to question the relation between figure and ground. The painting invites us to enjoy the tension between what we see and what we think we know. I'm reminded of Pierre Bonnard who shared Matisse's love for color and pattern. It is a conversation about pushing boundaries and finding joy in color, form, and the sheer act of painting. It's about the ongoing dialogue between artists.