Bather 1909

Henri Matisse painted ‘Bather’, and he did it with the kind of gutsy confidence that comes from really knowing your stuff. Matisse lays down these blocks of colour with a deceptive simplicity, like he's just splashing paint around, but look closer. See how the black outline isn't just a line, but a shape in itself, carving out the figure from the blue? There's a real tension between the flatness of the canvas and the illusion of form, he’s really asking us to consider the way that paint can become a body, or an atmosphere. I love the way he's not afraid to leave things unresolved. The background isn't just blue; it's a whole world of feeling, pushing and pulling against the bather. It reminds me a little of Milton Avery, that same knack for making simple shapes sing. Ultimately, Matisse reminds us that art is a process, not a perfect product, and that's a beautiful thing.