FRENCH LANGUAGE The 1930s marked a turning point in the work of Henri Matisse. In spite of his success, he grew tired of the interiors of Nice and the languid nudes. With age and renown came questioning: what he needed was something new, both in his themes and in his painting techniques. Changing his scale, he tackled The Dance, a vast mural composition destined for the Barnes Foundation in Merion, and thus made a new start, on the threshold of his sixtieth year. At a time of intense research, the painter's work became radical and found itself at the heart of the debates on ideas and