The Pierced Rock 1920

Henri Matisse painted ‘The Pierced Rock’ using oil on canvas, with thick blocks of grey and brown paint built up to construct the rock formation. It looks like he was struggling with his feelings. I like to imagine Matisse, out in front of this view with his paints, trying to capture something of the scene. The wind whipping around him, the smell of the sea. Maybe he felt unsure of himself, unsure of what he was trying to do. You can see the marks of his brushstrokes all over the canvas. The way the paint is applied, so directly and intuitively, makes it feel as though you’re right there with him. I think this painting is about the struggle to see the world clearly, to make sense of it, and to express that vision through the act of painting. And the waves coming in and out, over and over, like the history of painting itself. The beauty of painting lies in its ambiguity, its ability to invite multiple interpretations and meanings over time.