View of Antibes 1925

This is "View of Antibes" by Henri Matisse, who took brushes and oil paints to canvas. Just look at how Matisse is working that paint, laying it on thick and juicy! See the way he builds up the clouds with these short, choppy strokes? The whole thing feels so immediate, like he's just grabbing the light and slapping it right onto the canvas. It’s like watching a painter think, and then seeing that thought become a feeling. What really gets me going is that little patch of red over there in the boat. That one spot just sings out, doesn't it? It's like a tiny explosion, and it just makes the whole scene feel alive. You can see connections to Cézanne here, especially in the way he breaks down the landscape. But where Cézanne is all about structure, Matisse is letting loose, finding the joy in letting go. Isn’t that what painting is about?