Still Life 

Henri Matisse, a French artist, painted this ‘Still Life’ showing flowers in a vase, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Matisse, along with others, began to challenge the conventions of the art world in France. In a time when artistic institutions often promoted academic and realistic styles, they explored new ways of representing the world. The bright colours and simplified forms in this painting are typical of Matisse's style. We see a green vase filled with flowers, placed on an ornate stand. The background is a patterned wall that seems to merge with the flowers, flattening the space. Rather than trying to create a realistic picture, Matisse focused on the emotional and aesthetic impact of colour and form. Art historians consult exhibition records, letters and critical reviews of the time to better understand the cultural shift taking place at the time. The interpretation of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.