Still Life with Vegetables 1905

This is Matisse's 'Still Life with Vegetables', made with oil on canvas. You can really see the hand of the artist in this piece; it's like you're watching him decide where the shapes and colours are going to go. The paint has a lovely, thick texture, giving the piece a kind of sculptural quality. Check out the brushwork in the orange teapot and how it almost merges into the background. There’s a looseness and freedom here, where nothing feels overworked. It reminds me a little of Morandi, but way more colourful. Overall, there’s a joyous quality to this painting, a sense of playful exploration, which I think is characteristic of Matisse. It invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, not worrying too much about the hows and whys of looking.