Sun Street 1905

Henri Matisse made 'Sun Street' with oil paint on canvas. Look at how the color here feels both vibrant and somehow faded, like a half-remembered dream. Matisse isn't trying to trick us into seeing reality; he's showing us how he feels it. Notice the way he lays down these little dashes of color, a mosaic of pinks, blues, and yellows. It’s like he's trying to capture not just the look of the street, but also the shimmering, almost dizzying effect of the sun. The paint itself is thin, the canvas peeking through, which gives it this airy, light feeling. And that one dark blue shape on the right. Is it a shadow? Is it a building? Who knows! Maybe that's the point. Matisse reminds me a little of Bonnard, another painter who wasn't afraid to let things be ambiguous, who understood that a painting isn't about answers, it's about possibilities.