Oysters and Wooden Armchair 1943

Henri Matisse made this painting with what looks like oil paint in bright yellows, reds and blues. I can imagine him there, in front of this table of food, moving things around. The oyster dish is in front of a patterned armchair, painted in reds and whites. That yellow wall looks like it’s pushing forward. He might have started with just a simple sketch, but then, as he added those reds, the painting started to take on a life of its own. Look at the way he’s built up the layers, with the lemons seeming to glow against the blue tablecloth. There’s a real sense of play here, an openness to change. It reminds me of how artists like Fairfield Porter or Lois Dodd worked, finding the extraordinary in the everyday. Ultimately, painting for Matisse was like having a conversation, each stroke influencing the next. And in the end, it all just comes together.