Fauvism & Expressionism · 1906
The Joy of Life
The Joy of Life (1906) by Henri Matisse. Its palette is led by bone (#d7cbb2, 24%) and light muted red (#b8979a, 14%), with accents of orange, light muted green, muted azure teal and slate. Overall the canvas is light, vivid and warm.
Color note
Matisse led the Fauves, who used pure, unmixed color for expression; his Woman with a Hat caused a scandal at the 1905 Salon d'Automne.
Palette
- #d7cbb2 MG 171 bone 24.4% of canvas
- #b26a26 MG 030 orange 14.2% of canvas
- #b8979a MG 010 light muted red 14.2% of canvas
- #93b0a2 MG 055 light muted green 12.2% of canvas
- #6c888b MG 081 muted azure teal 11.4% of canvas
- #d0b051 MG 037 light amber gold 10.2% of canvas
- #3b5a5e MG 210 slate 6.8% of canvas
- #dfd07c MG 036 pale gold 6.5% of canvas
Color families
Brown 30%, Yellow 18%, Blue 13%, Red 9%, Orange 8%
Measurements
Composition
56% of the visual weight is in the left half, 54% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.38 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 8% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 34% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
Details
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More by Henri Matisse
- The Green Stripe, 1905
- The Open Window, 1905
- Woman with a hat, 1905
- The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room), 1907