Nude, Study 1908

Henri Matisse’s ‘Nude, Study’ is an oil on canvas, and I can only imagine the kind of conversation that transpired between Henri and his model! The painting isn’t overly fussy. We get a sense of the intimate setting, and the presence of the model in the studio. I can imagine him figuring things out as he goes, adjusting the pose, maybe changing the light, adding more paint to get a feel for the volume of the body. There’s a dialogue there, where he’s trying to capture what he sees and also responding to what the painting is telling him, maybe taking some liberties, and not being too precious. Looking at the painting now, I see how Matisse is in conversation with other artists, like Cézanne, who’s trying to break down form into simpler shapes. In a way, it’s like they’re all in this big, ongoing art party across time, riffing off each other’s ideas and building on what came before.