The Striped Dress 1938

Henri Matisse painted "The Striped Dress" with oil on canvas, and the way he builds up the colour is something else. You can see how the process becomes the point! The whole painting feels like a glorious balancing act of colour and form. Check out the brushstrokes on that red background; they’re not trying to hide! They’re out in the open, like the artist is saying, "Hey, look, this is paint, and I'm having a blast." And those stripes! They're not perfect, but that's the charm, right? Each stripe has its own little wobble, its own personality. They remind me of Agnes Martin’s grids, but more playful, less serious, like the difference between a sigh and a giggle. Matisse is teaching us that painting isn’t about perfection, it’s about feeling. He wasn’t afraid to let the brush dance across the canvas. It's like he's inviting us to let go, to trust our instincts, and to find the joy in the simple act of making.