Woman holding umbrella 1919

Henri Matisse made Woman Holding Umbrella with oil on canvas, and right away I feel like I can see him working, building up the colour in layers, almost like a mosaic, shifting from the bright greens of the umbrella to those cool blues of the sea. I imagine him squinting at the scene, trying to capture that particular light, the way it bounces off the water and illuminates the woman’s dress. Those aren't polite colours, they're punchy, Fauvist colours! Look at how those dabs of paint create texture and movement. There’s a real sense of energy, of the artist trying to pin down a fleeting moment. It's like he's saying, "Here is the world, raw and unfiltered."