Letter from Henri Matisse, Nice, to Paul Rosenberg, 1940 January 4 : autograph manuscript signed.

He thanks Rosenberg for his telegram and for his concern. He says that it is unforgivable that he (Matisse) uses Rosenberg's letters as stimulants and doesn't answer them when things are going well, only when they are going badly--which is to say that at the moment, he has been able to dominate his torments. Otherwise, Rosenberg would have heard from him more often. He's in a good way, living in the light instead of in darkness, and he's eager to take advantage of the present moment of peace. Madame [Margeruite] Duthuit hasn't come to see him after asking his lawyer for an appointment and also the assessors/evaluators for January 20. He's still waiting for her. He's not going to be impatient. She sent him New Year's greetings but didn't speak of the visit. He says that, like every autumn, returning to work has been very difficult, but things are beginning to look brighter. This is why he hasn't sent any photos to Rosenberg. He's working on several paintings but hasn't finished any. However, he will be very happy to see Rosenberg when he comes to Nice, even though he doesn't have much to show him. Matisse hopes that all will go well with Rosenberg's visit to Paris, and that the snow will melt. The weather is bad in Nice--it snowed one whole day, and the snow stayed on the ground for 24 hours, but now it's raining seriously. This should not discourage Rosenberg about visiting him in Nice.