Pascal's Pensees 1924

Matisse painted Pascal's Pensees, likely in France, using oil on canvas. Look at the surface, the way he applied the paint in these short, choppy strokes. It's like he's building up the image, one little dab at a time, which gives it a real sense of texture, like you could reach out and feel the roughness of the canvas. It's not about hiding the process; it's about celebrating it. And the colors! Oh, the colors. The way the red of the tabletop pops against the blues and whites of the vase, or the way the light filters through the curtains, creating this soft, hazy glow. Notice the little book, 'Pascal,' sitting there on the table, it's almost daring you to think about things, to question things, and to embrace the messiness of it all. Matisse reminds me of Bonnard in the way that he uses domestic scenes as a jumping off point for exploring color and light. It's all about feeling, and about the joy of seeing.