Undergrowth
1902-1903
Before Henri Matisse shocked the art world with his wild, unnatural colors, he spent time quietly mastering the light of the French countryside. In this lush forest scene from 1902, titled 'Sous-bois' (undergrowth), you can see him experimenting with dappled sunlight filtering through the dense trees. The reddish path on the right invites you for a stroll, while the loose, energetic brushstrokes hint at the revolutionary Modernist style he was just about to unleash. It’s a peaceful, atmospheric moment before he exploded into the bold world of Fauvism.
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