Erika Holmquist-Wall

When he went to Nice at the end of 1917 for the first time , one of the first things he did, was to visit Pierre-Auguste Renoir who was living nearby. The great old master of Impressionism, who was quite elderly but still very much interested in what was going on and was a contemporary artist of the day. They struck up quite a nice friendship and spent a lot of time together in 1918 and 1919. And Renoir told Matisse, it was really important for him to look at the landscape to get a break from interiors, to really think about where he was and to really think about exploring the beauties that were available just within easy striking distance. And so starting just after the conversation, Matisse did a whole group of landscapes. I mean it’s just so funny to think about the relationship between who comes when, Matisse is still alive in the 50s, when Jackson Pollock is painting in New York. And if you think of them being in such different places, it’s sort of the same way with Renoir and Matisse, you think oh that was so long so, but it really wasn’t.