Fauvism & Expressionism · 1906

The Joy of Life

Henri Matisse 1869–1954

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.

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

Lightness

0.71

Contrast

0.37

Vividness

0.064

Warmth

+0.70

Complexity

214 cells

Hue range

0.72

Focus

0.04

Details

Date

1906

Medium

Oil on canvas

Size

176.5 × 240.7 cm

Genre

nude

Collection

Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

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