At peace in Nice

My rant of almost two weeks ago has faded away, to a certain degree. I am no longer violently questioning myself. It feels like I know what’s going on now. At least I’ve got a purpose. I am on an assignment that opens up a new field of professional possibilities and personal promises. At the core of it: Matisse. Matisse, whose work I have admired for a long time, is giving me the chance to reflect on art again, and to put my experience to the test once more. And so I’ve moved to Nice for a while. Southern France, with its gentle climate and inviting society, has given me this peace of mind that I’d needed.

Matisse in Cimiez, Nice
Source: Un an à Nice

Away from the hustle and bustle of London, the urban mastodon, Nice is the kind of place that invites reflection, quietness, peace. My good friend Zac is with me, and although he’s over-excited about some Salsa festival going on in the area, I have enough time to concentrate on my work. I’ve seen Antibes today, where Zac and I drove to have lunch, and I can say I’m enthralled. I would spend my whole life here and I wouldn’t regret a single moment spent idling about, in contemplation.

Nice at night
Source: Wikipedia

The place seems to have the same effect on Zac, who’s having problems of his own, and who’s finding Nice ideal for debriefing. As mentioned, there’s this Salsa festival that’s keeping him pumped up, and that’s great. A lot of pretty girls to keep his mind occupied and the smile on his face fresh.

Musée Matisse in Cimiez
source: Wikipedia

The Musée Matisse here is what I’m looking for, since what I need right now is exposure to the art of the so-called “master of colour.” I need to get myself acquainted with subtler aspects of Matisse’s art, and a museum entirely dedicated to his work is just the thing. Not to mention the setting: Nice, which yes, is likely to clean up a lot of mess going on in my head at this stage. There was, of course, the possibility of going to Le Cateau-Cambrésis, but there was another thing that brought me here: the need to capture the warmth of the Mediterranean. My assignment requires this. In order to understand my task, I need to see the Mediterranean the way Matisse would have seen it in the twentieth century.