Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Matisse's Bedroom




When he was 80, French painter Henri Matisse was bed ridden. His creative spirit was in full tact and he painted and sketched from his bed with long 'pointer sticks' with charcoal affixed to the end. This way, he could sketch on paper hung on his bedroom walls. His house was outside of Nice in the south of France. Around this time, he was commissioned to decorate the Vence Chapel. For a look at the chapel click here: http://www.abcgallery.com/M/matisse/matisse126.html
"Today," Matisse says, "I sense that all my work over the past 60 years has had no other profound meaning than to lead me to this chapel. Now that it is almost finished, I am at peace. My bags are packed. I have only to wait for the last train to depart." (from an interview with Edmonde Charles-Roux, Academie Goncourt). **Images from the book: Encounters with Great Painters by Therond**