Paysage aux environs de Nice
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A dense cluster of olive and pine trees dominates the composition, constructed with loose, overlapping brushstrokes of sage green, deep olive, and earthy brown. A single, dark, curved tree trunk leans across the center, guiding the eye through the dense foliage toward a distant, narrow glimpse of the blue Mediterranean Sea and a pale, clear sky. Henri Matisse painted this scene around 1918, shortly after relocating to the French Riviera. During this early period in Nice, he temporarily moved away from the flat, unmodulated colors of his Fauvist years, adopting a softer palette and more atmospheric brushwork to capture the distinct, silvery light of the southern coast.