Statuette and Vases on Oriental Carpet 1908

Editor: We’re looking at Henri Matisse’s “Statuette and Vases on Oriental Carpet,” painted in 1908. I’m struck by how bold the colors are. The whole scene kind of vibrates. What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: It’s a marvelous dance, isn't it? What I love is how Matisse coaxes depth out of such a flat plane. It's like he's saying, "I'm going to throw all these patterns and colors at you, but trust me, there's a rhythm here." He was so fascinated with how objects spoke to each other. Editor: That's interesting. Rhythm instead of realism. What do you think he was trying to "say"? Curator: Ah, that's the poet's question! I don’t think it's about delivering a message. It's more about a feeling. You can almost smell the perfumes and feel the silk under your fingertips. Do you sense that, too? He probably wanted to take you to a luxurious place of colors. Editor: Yes, now that you say that! The colors have such a tactile, exotic quality to them. I hadn't thought about it as a kind of... poem, or at least an impressionistic moment. Curator: Precisely! Art can sometimes have the subtlety and allure of unspoken poetry. And isn't it wonderful how a still life can stir such emotions? Editor: Absolutely, like you revealed another dimension to an intimate encounter. Curator: An encounter filled with vivid expression.