1905 -1948 · Collioure, Nice, interior and opening to color

At Matisse, the window connects the room to the world: sea, port, sky and garden become flat areas which abolish the border between depth and decor.

Henri Matisse makes the window a recurring motif from Fauvism to late interiors. In Collioure in 1905, the open window is no longer a demonstration of perspective: its vertical frame retains a sea built with pink, blue and green touches. In French window in Collioure, painted in 1914, a dense black band almost entirely replaces the view and gives the threshold an enigmatic force. In Nice, the window is integrated into hotel rooms, curtains, balconies and seated figures. In Nice, the window is integrated into hotel rooms, curtains, balconies and seated figures. In Nice, the window is integrated into hotel rooms, curtains, balconies and seated figures. The Mediterranean exterior and interior decor then share the same arabesques and the same colors. Matisse uses this passage to hold several spaces together without imposing a single depth. A table can tilt, an upright become a colored strip, a landscape seem hung like a fabric. The window summarizes its project as follows: open the surface without denying it, bring in the light while affirming the autonomy of the painting. The "Windows of Henri Matisse" selection notably compares La Fenêtre and Porte-fenêtre in Collioure. Its reading favors details.

Matisse's window opens onto the world while reminding us that sea, wall and curtain belong to the same colorful surface.