Fish tank in the room 1912

Henri Matisse made this painting of a ‘Fish tank in the room’, sometime in the 20th century, with oil paint on canvas. It’s interesting how Matisse wasn't trying to copy what he saw but instead used paint to construct a whole new way of experiencing a simple set of objects. The paint is applied pretty thickly, and you can see the marks of the brush all over, which adds to the painting's lively energy. Look at the way he painted the fish, those loose, orange strokes against the watery blues. It’s almost like he’s capturing their movement and energy, not just their appearance. And the dark, moody background really makes those bright colors pop. The statue off to the right is amazing, a sort of reference to the history of art. But this isn’t about being academic. Instead, the statue is a way of emphasizing the flatness of the painted surface. It reminds me a bit of some of Picasso’s still life paintings. Neither artist is scared to play around with perspective and form. It’s like they’re having a conversation across the canvas, challenging our ideas about what painting can be.