The Yellow Dress 1931

Henri Matisse made *The Yellow Dress* with oil on canvas. Look at how the colours buzz against one another in this painting. It’s like he’s not just depicting a scene, but also showing us the very act of seeing itself. The paint is applied pretty loosely here, right? The surface is built up with layers, but not in a way that feels overworked. It's more like a conversation between colours and shapes, with each mark responding to the one before. There's a real sense of immediacy, as if he's capturing a fleeting moment. Take the red of the floor: it's not just red, it's a whole bunch of reds layered on top of each other, vibrating with energy. It reminds me of Vuillard, another painter who was interested in how colour could create atmosphere and emotion. Ultimately, *The Yellow Dress* isn’t about representing reality; it’s about exploring the possibilities of paint. And that, for me, is what makes it so exciting.