Accidental encounter with Matisse inspires Hampl's new book
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![The inspiration](https://img.apmcdn.org/28da7d82914c9fc1d08a0b6d6dee8c06f2f9ef5d/uncropped/f637df-20061110-matisse.jpg)
A Matisse painting of a woman gazing at a bowl of goldfish is the center of St. Paul author Patricia Hampl's new book, "Blue Arabesque: A Search for the Sublime."
Hampl first saw the painting in 1972 in Chicago and became captured by the the life and work of Matisse. The image in the painting fuels Hampl's journey to explore the ideas of artistic inspiration and creativity.
Patricia Hampl is a Regents Professor of English at the University of Minnesota. She told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham that growing up her family did not go to art museums often and her encounter with the Matisse painting was purely accidental.
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