Pot of Geraniums 1912

Henri Matisse made this painting, ‘Pot of Geraniums’ with oil on canvas, and he’s really having a conversation with color here. It's like he's saying, ‘Let’s see what these colors do together.’ Look at the geranium pot, how it’s half pink and half green. It's not just about representing a flowerpot; it's about the interaction of those colors, how they vibrate and create a visual buzz. I love how the brushstrokes are visible; you can almost feel Matisse's hand moving across the canvas. And notice the little pot to the left. It’s not perfectly round, and the colors shift and change. This imperfect mark-making reminds me of Guston's later work, where the awkwardness and honesty of the mark become the point. It's like both artists are saying, "Here's the world, not perfect, but full of life and energy."