Gray Nude with Bracelet 1914

This is Henri Matisse's Gray Nude with Bracelet, painted with oil on canvas. It's like he painted the ghost of a nude! Looking at the muted palette, almost monochromatic, it feels so unlike other Matisse paintings. I imagine him working on this, wrestling with the shadows and light. It’s interesting how he used grey, which is usually a neutral color, to convey so much depth and form. See how the brushstrokes give the figure a sense of weight, of being present? But also, how the paint is thin enough so that she's part of the background, almost fading. I'm betting he was thinking a lot about bodies while he was making it! He's trying to figure it out. The bracelet on her wrist is like a little jewel. It's a small detail, yet it draws your eye and adds a touch of warmth to the cool tones of the painting. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with each other across time, borrowing and responding, and using the medium of paint to express something new.