Nude Wearing Red Shoes 1907

Henri Matisse painted this oil on canvas, titled 'Nude Wearing Red Shoes,' and you can feel him working it out as he goes. The colors are like feelings here, slathered on with confident abandon. Look how the blue of the platform almost vibrates against the dark greens and browns of the figure, like a stage set for a mood. You can see the brushstrokes building up, thick in places, like the artist was sculpting with paint. I’m drawn to the splashes of red and orange on the figure’s shoulder, a momentary highlight of color against the darker tones. It's like a little spark of energy, right there on the surface. Matisse reminds me a bit of Bonnard in his use of color to evoke feeling, but where Bonnard feels intimate, Matisse feels, well, bigger, bolder. It's all about the surface, the gesture, the pure joy of pushing paint around. And, of course, those fabulous red shoes.