Window in Tahiti 1935

Henri Matisse made this painting, *Window in Tahiti*, with bright colours and bold brushstrokes. It feels like he's working out how to capture a place, using the window as a frame, but not a constraint. The paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's something else; it's just itself, thick and juicy in places. Notice the red clouds: they're not trying to be real clouds, but they’re communicating something about the heat and energy of the place. Then there are the balustrades, they're not quite perfect, but they're full of character. Matisse is like Paul Cezanne here, showing us the world, but also the act of seeing and painting it. It’s as if he’s saying, "Here’s Tahiti, but here’s also me, trying to figure it out." It’s this honesty, this embrace of the process, that makes his work so engaging. It reminds us that art is a conversation, a way of seeing, and an ongoing exploration, not a fixed destination.