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Buy it on Amazon.
I didn’t set out to write a play. But one night as I was following some random thread on the Web, I happened upon a mention of the Chapelle du Rosaire — the chapel that Henri Matisse designed in Vence. Decades ago, on a trip to Provence, I’d made a pilgrimage to the chapel, and, like everyone who experiences it, I was flattened by its alternately raw and subtle beauty. But I knew nothing of the story of its creation.
There’s a question at the heart of that story: How did this atheist come to create a place of worship for Catholics?
The answer was: a woman. Of course. But not in the way you may be thinking.
In 1942, Matisse was 72, divorced, living in Nice and recovering from an operation. His only companion was his chilly Russian assistant. Needing a nurse, he hired Monique Bourgeois, a 21-year-old nursing student. In the 15 nights they were together, Matisse came to love her like a daughter. But when he learned that she was going to become a nun, he was enraged. They parted on bad terms.
Five years later, Matisse was living in Vence. So was Monique, who was Matisse’s friend again — even if she was now Sister Jacques-Marie. Her convent prayed in a chapel that was once a garage. When it rained, the roof leaked. She asked Matisse to design a stained glass window so the nuns could raise money and repair the chapel. He had another idea: a new chapel. Over opposition, Matisse created the Chapelle du Rosaire — he called it the masterpiece of his career And then he died.
I read dozens of books. And then I wrote “The Color of Light.” The play had its premiere in San Diego in January. Sold-out shows, strong reviews, standing ovations — it couldn’t have gone better. Next up: The Schoolhouse Theater in Westchester, New York, April 4-28, 2019. [For tickets and information, click here.]
Books? The best is “Matisse: A Life,” by Hilary Spurling, an abridged, one-volume version of her award-winning biographies, “The Unknown Matisse” and “Matisse the Master.” [To buy “Matisse: A Life” from Amazon, click here.] The best picture book for children 9 to 12 years old is the 32-page “Matisse.” [To buy it from Amazon, click here.] And I devoured Barbara Freed’s excellent 67-minute documentary, “A Model for Matisse,” about the chapel and his relationship with Jacques-Marie. [For a preview, click here. To buy the DVD from Amazon, click here.]
In our world, old age means a winding down, assisted living, and death in an antiseptic hospital room. But here was a late-life success story: a great love, a creative flowering, a good death at home. That story, told as a play, might deliver a transcendent theatrical experience. It astonished me that no one had written it.
Now someone has.
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This article originally appeared on The Head Butler
Photo: Getty Images