A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse

Le Tord here does for Matisse what she did for Claude Monet in A Blue Butterfly: she bends her watercolor style to incorporate suggestions of Matisse's famous works, and her scant, poetic text tells readers just enough to kindle an appreciation for Matisse's genius. The artist is already old and accomplished when he is introduced here, newly arrived in Nice and influenced by the extraordinary light. His colors change; his friends say, ""He paints/ the sunshine/ everyday./.../ He works/ joyfully,/ with a light/ heart."" Le Tord's sun-steeped art brings out that lightness of heart: her portraits of Matisse radiate his happiness and sense of play. While her versions of his paintings are more a blending of her style and his (as opposed to imitation), they capture Matisse's optimism. She doesn't give much in the way of facts (not even saying where, exactly, Nice is located), but when she declares that ""Matisse/ made us/ `hear'/ with our/ eyes/ the music/ he painted/ in his/ pictures,"" her meaning comes through loud and clear--there is music in her work, too. All ages. (Oct.)