Painter's Family 1911

Matisse made this painting of his family with oil on canvas. Look at how the space is constructed, it's so flat and decorative, it's like a stage set! The composition creates a feeling of intimacy and domesticity, yet the figures seem strangely disconnected. The textures are built up with loose brushstrokes of flat colour. The paint is applied thinly, allowing the canvas to show through in places. Notice the intensity of the reds, blues, and yellows. The rugs and wallpaper create a busy backdrop, heightening the sense of claustrophobia. The checkerboard is a visual anchor, but the game seems frozen in time. I find myself drawn to the vase of flowers above the mantlepiece. It sits perfectly within the composition. Matisse’s use of colour and pattern owes a debt to Post-Impressionists like Paul Gauguin, but this painting is uniquely his own. Matisse embraces ambiguity, he’s not afraid to leave things unresolved. It's like he's inviting us to step into the scene and make our own connections.