Young Woman Playing Violin 1923

Henri Matisse made Young Woman Playing Violin with oil paint; no date is given but, looking at it, you can see how it may have been created over a long period of time. Imagine Matisse standing in front of the canvas, brush in hand, mixing those ochre and ultramarine paints with a palette knife. The painting seems almost to have been built up with a series of blocks: blocks of color, flat areas of tone that create a beautiful push-pull effect in the picture plane. I wonder, was Matisse thinking of Bonnard when he made this piece? The sea view is so striking, full of light and space, just like a Bonnard. The painting embodies the ambiguity and uncertainty that I think is part of the creative process. This quality encourages us to contemplate, feel, and find our own meanings. That's what I call a conversation.