The Fur Coat 1936

Henri Matisse made this painting of a woman in a fur coat with oil on canvas. Look how the paint kind of shimmies, like he applied it in rhythmic touches, building up layers of color and texture. You can almost feel him searching for the right way to capture the plushness of the fur, the way it drapes and folds. I wonder if the sitter was actually wearing this coat, or whether it was something he had lying around the studio to add interest to the composition. That red blouse is so bold against the fur, and notice the background with its loose brushstrokes of greens and yellows - it's like a stage set, flattened and decorative. Matisse was so good at making a painting where all the elements, the figure, the clothes, the background, all vibrate together. He wasn't trying to make a window onto the world, but a world in itself. Like he's telling us, hey, it's all just paint!