Jeannette II 1913

Henri Matisse’s bronze sculpture Jeannette II sits here at LACMA. What I find interesting about this sculpture is the way it balances form and feeling. You see that head? It's like, how did that emerge? I imagine Matisse working and reworking the clay, pushing and pulling, each touch registering a decision, a correction, an emotion. You know? I wonder what he was thinking as his fingers traced the lines of her face? Was he trying to capture likeness or trying to evoke a feeling? The bronze itself has a tactile quality, that surface invites you to reach out and touch, to feel the coolness of the metal beneath your fingertips. But it’s more than just the material. It’s about the play of light and shadow across the surface, the way the bronze seems to breathe and come alive. It makes me think about other artists, like Rodin, who were also exploring the human form, trying to capture something essential about what it means to be alive, to feel, to experience the world. It’s all one big conversation.