There are always flowers for those who want to see them

Henri Matisse, the French artist, had a prolific and influential art career spanning over six decades.

But by the time he reached his 70s, illness had confined him to a wheelchair, and surgery had left him too weak to hold a paint brush. But instead of quitting art, he decided to focus on what he could still do. Matisse looked inward and forward rather than backward.

He began using scissors instead of a paintbrush. He cut vibrant shapes from painted paper and arranged them into "cut-outs." This wasn’t a compromise — it was a reinvention. His art from this era of his life was still radiant, uplifting, and full of life. They pulse with joy — not despite his limitations, but through them.

One of the most stunning pieces from this era, La Gerbe (The Sheaf), is a cascade of colorful leaves dancing upward.

Another is Icarus. The figure appears to be falling — or maybe flying — against a deep blue sky, surrounded by stars. Matisse could have made it tragic, but instead he made it electric. He gave Icarus vitality and courage, even in descent.

Matisse was asked why he didn't express his struggles or sorrow in his art. He answered that there was enough sadness in the world already and that art should instead celebrate and focus on the happiness and beauty of life. He said, "There are always flowers for those who want to see them." His later works weren't an escape from reality but a choice to seek light even in shadow. They were declarations of optimism crafted with conviction.

So if life pushes us into unexpected corners, maybe the lesson is this: We don’t need the perfect conditions to create beauty. We just need the will to keep cutting shapes from the vibrant paper of what we still have.

Source: The basics of the story were told to us by our tour guide in France.