Vase of Amaryllis 1941

Henri Matisse painted 'Vase of Amaryllis' at some point in his career using oil on canvas. It's kind of hard to pin down when exactly, which for me, makes the experience of looking at it all the more exciting. The way he lays down the paint in this piece feels so honest, like he's letting us in on his process. Look at the dark vase – it's almost a void, yet it's brought to life by these quick, confident strokes. And that tablecloth? It’s a sea of blues, activated by all these little flicks of purple and white. I love how he doesn't try to hide the fact that it's paint on a surface. There's a real sense of play here. It reminds me of Bonnard, especially in the way he uses colour to create this vibrant, almost dizzying effect. But Matisse has his own thing going on. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s a painting, but it’s also just a collection of marks and colours, take it or leave it." It's this attitude that makes his work so endlessly fascinating.