Lorette with Black Eyes 1917

Henri Matisse painted Lorette with Black Eyes in a way that feels really immediate, like a sketch, but with the confidence of a fully resolved painting. The brushstrokes are loose and visible, which to me shows the process of making art right there on the canvas. Look at the colors – they’re not quite naturalistic, are they? Skin tones are heightened with pinks and reds, and the background has this kind of warm, yellow glow, which creates a mood, rather than just copying what he saw. Matisse wasn’t trying to trick you into thinking this was real life; he was making a painting, and the colors and textures celebrate that. The way he’s outlined her features with those dark strokes is really interesting, especially around the eyes. It gives her face a graphic quality, almost like a mask. Thinking about someone like Picasso, who was also bending and breaking perspective at this time, you start to see how Matisse was part of a bigger conversation about how we see and represent the world. It's not about perfection; it's about expression.