Fauvism & Expressionism · 1905

The Open Window

Henri Matisse 1869–1954

The Open Window (1905) by Henri Matisse. Its palette is led by pale grey (#d4cdce, 23%) and pale muted pink (#d9a6a3, 21%), with accents of reddish crimson, muted teal, scarlet red and dark muted blue. 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

#d4cdce MG 212 pale grey 23.0% of canvas
#d9a6a3 MG 141 pale muted pink 20.5% of canvas
#8cc0c3 MG 079 pale muted aqua 11.5% of canvas
#be6e98 MG 005 reddish crimson 11.1% of canvas
#299285 MG 076 teal 10.5% of canvas
#456d6e MG 083 muted teal 8.6% of canvas
#ab2d34 MG 019 scarlet red 8.5% of canvas
#18344c MG 099 dark muted blue 6.2% of canvas

Color families

Blue 19%, Red 19%, Pink 14%, Gray 14%, Brown 10%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.68
Contrast: 0.50
Vividness: 0.063
Warmth: +0.42
Complexity: 241 cells
Hue range: 0.78
Focus: 0.00

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the right half, 52% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.69 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 5% 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

Date: 1905
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 55.3 × 46.0 cm
Made in: France
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

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More by Henri Matisse

The Green Stripe, 1905
Woman with a hat, 1905
The Joy of Life, 1906
The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room), 1907