The Geranium 1906

Henri Matisse must have made The Geranium in a single sitting, outside maybe, with those beautiful blues and greens evoking a perfect sunny day! I can imagine Matisse, brush in hand, circling the plant, trying to capture not just what he sees, but how the light and the leaves and the flower *feel*. The geranium seems to breathe on the canvas. Look at how he’s daubed the paint, those small strokes of color—blues mixing with greens and pinks. You can almost feel the thickness of the paint, smell its oiliness. It’s like he's built the painting layer by layer, each stroke a decision, a response to what came before. Matisse painted flowers again and again, as did many artists, like Morandi. It is that ongoing conversation that painters have with each other over time that excites me! It’s not about getting it "right" or "perfect." It’s about embracing the mess, the uncertainty, and the sheer joy of seeing.