Henri Matisse painted "Woman in White" in 1946. For now, the vibrant painting is one road, stopping stateside and then overseas.

Indeed, the most written-about painters in France at that time, shown under the collective label Bleu Blanc Rouge, used a vivid palette in their paintings, inspired by Matisse’s bold harmonies.

ST. LOUIS — Are you near a window? Try looking out. Henri Matisse used to look out windows a lot. He saw colors. Hilary Spurling, in her great Matisse biography, reported that the French artist ...