museworthy

How incredible is Matisse? Sometimes I think I could look at his work for hours on end. Although much of it is familiar to all of us, Matisse’s art is always fresh, dynamic, and vivid no matter how many times you view it. To me, a Matisse painting looks as if it was JUST PAINTED, five minutes before you saw it. And for someone like me who has an aversion to stale, static, inert artwork (just my humble layperson preference) that kind of vitality is a huge attraction in every sense; aesthetic, intellectual, even spiritual. I respond strongly to art that breathes and moves . . . has a pulse, so to speak. That Matisse was also a dedicated painter of the human figure makes an art model feel a special bond with the man. Any chance I can time travel back a few decades and pose for the awesome Henri? Guess not. Damn!

When I think of Matisse, the phrase “life force” comes to mind. Logical association for a “life model” to make, right?

Here’s Matisse’s “Bathers”. Love the turtle!