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by Phil....

November 3 1964

Dear, Mr. Black

I'am glad to hear that my traveling to another decade worked on solving many problems in the year 2000. I'am now in 1944, exactly 10 years before the death of Henri Matisse.

I was at one of Matisses showings when Matisse himself walked in. Not thinking about it, I rushed over to him and told him how much I loved his painting about the lemons. He looked at me and said that he didn't have a paiting about lemons, but that it was a good idea.
I didn't know that it was made after 1944. Anyway since I know how much you like Matisse, so here is his biography that I made up just for you:

Henri Matisse was one of the most influencial painters of the 1900s. His unique style, his use of superb colours, and his use of simple shapes made "all" of his paintings stand out. One of my favorites is the painting " Les citrons" (fr. The Lemons). This is a simple and useless painting to some but to me it represents something more than "just" lemons. I don't what Matisse wanted to say but I think that he wanted to show everyone that he was not like the rest, that he could paint anything and it would be a success. Too bad only a couple of his paintings would be a success.
Henri Matisse was born on December 31st 1869, in Cateau-Cambresis in France. As a young boy Matisse was pushed in to being a lawer by his father. At first Matisse had no interest in painting. He was not exposed to the colours that he would later paint, because he only saw the black and white of the textbooks that his father made him read. But that would all change when Matisse's mother would give him his first paint set.
I would like to tell you that Matisse went on to be a famous painter from age 15, but instead he chose law. After spending an enormous amount of time and money at Acadamie Julien, in France, Matisse just simply left. He found it boring and wanted to do something with the rest his life, he was only 20. So he took up painting.
Matisse turned to one of the most well known schools in art " École des Beaux Arts" in France. There Matisse met Gustave Maoreau, his proffesor. Moreau saw a great artist in Matisse and continued to push him to make his own style. Moreau would get what he wanted only 5 years later.
By the time Matisse had become famous, graet artists like Mr. claude Monet, and Camellia Pissarro had already made some of there greatest pieces. Matisse, the new artist, had to make a name for himself. Thats when he created the group called "Les Fauves". It was not a religious or ethnic group, it was an artist group, artist that use bright colours. This group not only made Matisse famous in it he managed to create his own style. As I said before he used bright colours, simple shapes, and strong lines, but that wasn't enough for him, he very rarely used cubism or impressionism, therefore everything or almost everything that the "Fauves" created basicly moved. But the group itself didn't last. Too bad, because it worked.
The "Fauves" failed because unlike Matisse the other painters in the group wanted to follow the trends that the other painters were using, for example cubism, impressionism or various dark and bright periods. But Matisse wanted to be different and daring and in doing so, some people believe that he destroyed his career but I believe that it finally started.
Hope you liked it. I had planned on you wanting to come and see him for your self, but it is up to you.

Bye. Your good friend
Phillip