Young Girl in Black in Yellow Armchair 1935

Henri Matisse painted this yellow armchair and young girl in black with such bold brushstrokes and planes of colour, that you can almost feel the texture of the canvas. It’s so painterly that it’s like seeing the history of the painting right there on the surface! I wonder what it was like for Matisse as he built this world of colour – the oranges and reds popping against the cool blues, and that black dress against the yellow chair! The thickness of the paint suggests he might have layered it on with a palette knife, scraping and building until it felt just right. That big, confident brushstroke that defines the edge of the chair – it’s like a shortcut, a shorthand for the real thing. It's like he's saying, "I don't need to show you everything; you can fill in the blanks." It reminds me of other colourists like Pierre Bonnard, who also played with interior space and intimate scenes. Matisse and Bonnard, what a pair! They were in such vibrant conversation with each other, and with the entire history of painting. Painting is a journey into seeing and feeling, and the journey never ends!