The Three O'Clock Sitting 1924

Henri Matisse made "The Three O'Clock Sitting" using oil on canvas. I can imagine him starting with the warm red of the floorboards. How do you get that zingy red just right? It's a painting of paintings; we see paintings within the painting. There's the painting that the woman is making of the nude model, and then, behind the model, there’s a painting on the wall. He's inviting us to consider painting as a world within a world, a process of endless mirroring and reflection. The model is so present, as if she might move at any second. The artist sees the nude as part of the whole composition, not just an isolated figure. The composition feels casual, like a scene from life, but every element is carefully placed. Matisse isn’t just recording what he sees. He’s thinking about line and colour and about how the painting surface can vibrate with energy. It makes you want to pick up a brush and join the conversation.