Landscape viewed from a Window 1913

Henri Matisse painted *Landscape Viewed from a Window* using oil on canvas. These traditional materials allowed him to apply broad strokes of colour, building up a rich impasto. Matisse's choice of oil paint is significant. Oil paint is often favoured by artists because of its ability to capture subtle nuances of light and colour. This technique allows Matisse to create depth and atmosphere in his work, while its slow drying time gives the artist a chance to rework the image over a period of time. We can appreciate how the materiality of paint has affected Matisse's aesthetic choices. The thick application of pigment reflects the artist's physical engagement with the canvas, emphasizing the tactile nature of the medium. Understanding Matisse's engagement with traditional materials invites us to question conventional boundaries between craft and fine art, recognizing the artist's mastery of technique and his exploration of colour, form and emotion.