The Music Lesson

There is a boy at the piano.
It is his second son, Pierre.

Surrounding him, his family is depicted.
His daughter, Marguerite.
His wife, Amélie.
And his eldest son, Jean, watching over his younger brother.

This is a family portrait painted by Henri Matisse.
A colossal canvas, over two meters tall and two meters wide.
What remains on it is a quiet moment of music.

The year is 1917.
It is the midst of World War I.

While the world was engulfed in war,
this room alone seems to be filled with a serene atmosphere.

However, this was no ordinary daily scene.
It was the last time the Matisse family would gather together.

His eldest son, Jean, was about to depart for the front shortly after this, and this might have been the last time the entire family could spend together.