"He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back." -Henri Matisse

We went to the Monet to Picasso exhibit yesterday.

I am so inspired!

Some of my favorites were Giovanni Segantini's Pine Tree, Amedeo Modigliani's Portrait of a Woman, Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, Claude Monet's Wheat Field, and my very favorite was Gabrielle Munter's Future (Woman in Stockholm).

We also saw Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and many more. It was thrilling.

I was especially excited to see some of Matisse's works. He didn't paint things as they were, he portrayed things as he "felt them". (That's my kind of style). Although his paintings aren't my favorites, he as an artist definitely is.

He lived a beautiful life full of trials. For instance, his wife and two of his children were arrested, tortured and deported during the Resistance. The thing that to me is most inspiring about him, is that despite the harsh realities of life, he looked for happiness and beauty. In the [translated] words of Marie Sellier, she said, "...because he seeks to transform all into joy, he finds happiness even within his misfortune."

In his own words:

"I desire an art of balance and purity which neither disturbs nor troubles. My wish is that the man who is tired, worn out, and overworked should taste peace and calm as he stands before one of my paintings."

As I looked at Interior with an Etruscan Vase, I certainly did feel at peace. Thank you, Mr. Matisse.