a few things Matisse…

This is a photo of Henri Matisse from 1909.

"I started with the secular and now in the evening of my life, I naturally end with the divine."
Henri Matisse in the Rosaire Chapel at Vence. 1950
Dmitri Kessel pic.twitter.com/yNE9GMPYcs

— Marysia (@marysia_cc) November 3, 2023

“Matisse and Picasso Were Friends—and Rivals
On the surface, it may seem Pablo Picasso and Matisse had a lot in common. Both were inspired by the works of Paul Cézanne, both played with unconventional forms and colors in their work, and both were friends of Gertrude Stein, but the men did not take an immediate liking to one another when Stein introduced them in 1906 in her Paris salon. 
After several years of rivalry, Matisse and Picasso did begin to enjoy each other’s company. Matisse later said of Picasso, “We’ve got to see each other often, because when one of us goes, there are things the other will no longer be able to say to anyone.” 
Yet the competitive nature of their relationship never diminished. They fiercely debated aesthetics and the merits of commissions and many of their works were painted in response to something they’d seen painted by the other. Matisse famously called their relationship a “boxing match.”

excerpt from 10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Matisse