Girl Seated 1909

Editor: Here we have Henri Matisse’s “Girl Seated” from 1909, painted with oil paints. It’s… striking, wouldn’t you say? There's a quiet intensity in the pose, and the colours – especially that bold red floor – just vibrate. What's your interpretation of this work? Curator: It’s true, that red grabs you! But for me, it’s the sea-green background meeting that fiery red which really holds the tension here. The way the artist lays down the brushstrokes…you can almost feel Matisse working quickly, intuitively, trying to capture a fleeting impression, and just at the instant she lets her thought be knowable. It reminds me of trying to capture a dream before it fades. Do you sense that too? Editor: I see what you mean, yes! A dream on fire. Is that a Fauvist characteristic – using intense colours to capture emotions and states of mind? Curator: Exactly! The Fauves aimed to liberate colour from its descriptive function. Look at the green strokes on the chair, fighting to be read against the seated model’s clean white garment! For them, it wasn’t about painting what they saw, but what they felt. Consider how, despite the lack of precise detail, the figure seems to resonate with something far beyond a mere physical presence. Editor: I never thought about it that way, before! Seeing the colours as emotive… It changes how I see the entire painting. Curator: Precisely! I sometimes wonder what we'd be discussing if the canvas was bathed in blues instead! Editor: Food for thought. The bold colour choices really shift the way to look at it – thanks so much. Curator: My pleasure! Never underestimate the story colours can tell!