Anémones et grenades 1946

Henri Matisse made ‘Anémones et grenades’ with oil paint, I reckon, in an intuitive and experimental process, probably shifting, adding, and subtracting until the whole thing looked right to him. The painting is arranged with dark reds and purples against a background of warm yellows and pinks, but I wonder what he was thinking when he added that strange graphic foliage to the dark upper left? The paint looks thin, almost translucent in places. See how he’s built up the surface, layering the colors to create depth and luminosity? Look at the brushstrokes; you can almost feel the movement of his hand across the canvas. That bold, confident stroke that defines the edge of a pomegranate – it’s not just a line; it's a feeling, a gesture, a moment captured in paint. It’s like he’s talking to us through the painting, inviting us to see the world as he did. Matisse had a lot to say to us painters; so many paintings are like letters sent across time, don't you think?