Three Sisters 1917

Henri Matisse painted *Three Sisters* with oils on canvas at an unknown date. The colours are pretty muted, actually, soft pinks, greens and black, and the marks are loose. I imagine Matisse, standing in front of his canvas, squinting at his models, trying to capture their essence with a few deft strokes. I wonder what it was like for him, wrestling with the weight of tradition while forging a new path. Maybe he felt trapped by the expectations of the art world, yet driven by an irresistible urge to experiment. I love the flatness, the way the figures seem to float in the picture plane, unanchored by perspective. The black outline around the figures is so bold! I get the sense that the painting is less about capturing a likeness, more about conveying a feeling. The same feeling you get looking at a Bonnard, or Vuillard. Painters are always talking to each other! The spirit of the sister on the right reading is the essence of painting: she embodies uncertainty and ambiguity and that’s where the juicy bits are.