Michaela 1943

Henri Matisse conjured ‘Michaela’ out of thin air in 1943 with oil on canvas. Just imagine him starting with that zingy red backdrop, zigzagging with pale blue, like a visual buzz! I can see him, stepping back, squinting, adding the sunny yellow dress, almost like he's draping light itself over the canvas. It’s like watching a garden grow – first the bold gestures, then the tender details that make it sing. And Michaela herself, those red eyes meeting yours, giving a knowing look as if to say, "Yes, I am a painting, and yes, I am alive!" Matisse was always in conversation with other artists. I bet he was thinking about Bonnard, the way he played with colour and flattened space. He might have been listening to jazz while he was working, improvising on the canvas like a saxophonist riffing on a melody. It makes me want to pick up a brush and join the conversation.