|I definitely should visit Matisse’s masterpiece in Vence, which he started at age 79 (!) from his sickbed. A sister-friend told Matisse that nuns were using an old garage for praying, and she asked Matisse for help. His friend Picasso could not understand why atheist Matisse would want to decorate a chapel. In fact, it made Picasso angry. Or jealous. Matisse painted the white mural tiles on the ground and in two hours. He wanted the chapel to be a place where people could leave their burdens behind, as Muslims leave the dust of the streets on the soles of the sandals lined up at the door of a mosque: “My role is to provide calm, because I myself have need of peace.” The nuns were happy, but thought the Virgin’s breasts were exaggerated 😉  Art Henri Matisse Exhibition Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, until August 16, 2015