Deux Jeune Filles 1947

Henri Matisse made this painting of two young girls, probably in the south of France, with expressive brushstrokes, and a bright but limited palette. I wonder what it was like for Matisse to put down these simple colors. It's not about making something real, or even likeable. The colors are blunt, like he wants to challenge us. And those faces! There's something so strange about them, so flat and mask-like, but full of feeling. They remind me of other painters, like Picasso, who saw faces as puzzles that could be taken apart and put back together in new ways. This painting isn’t necessarily profound, but that simple flatness makes you ask, what did it feel like to be Matisse, looking at these two young girls? I always think of painters having conversations across time, inspiring one another. Painting is an ongoing discussion about how to see, how to feel, and how to make sense of the world, and Matisse makes space for all of those things.