Complexity of Matisse's Red Studio

The composition of Henri Matisse's 1911 painting Red Studio (oil on canvas, 71 1/4" x 86 1/4") is more complex than it appears to be at first glance. The overall red color of the floor and walls gives it the appearance of a very simple picture in which a few straight lines and a number of brightly colored paintings and other objects define the space of the room. But by observing the underlying principals of composition it is possible to see how complex it really is. Matisse employed such conventions as the Rule of Thirds and one-point perspective as a solid foundation and carefully arranged the items in the room and the blank spaces of the walls and floor into a balanced, rhythmically sophisticated whole. No particular object is the main focus of the composition, but it directs attention toward the corner of the room to the left of center, primary because the perspective is slightly skewed (with a vanishing point slightly to the left of center) and because the triangular shape of the large open space of the floor in the right foreground 'points' in that direction. In general, however, the picture conveys a sense of intense activity. The overall red shade is not restful and the eye moves from one object to the next because of the jagged, persistent rhythm of the composition.

The canvas is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The lower third is roughly bordered by the far end of the table and the swooping white shape on the chair. The lower third of

Related Essays

Complexity of Stuttering Speech Disorder The speech disorder of stuttering is a complex phenomenon the causes of which are not entirely understood by researchers and the treatment of which remains .... (1683 7 )

The Complexity of Leadership Paper #1: Effective Leadership: Force Paper #1: Effective Leadership: Force Field Analysis The following presents a force field analysis of my current organization. A .... (3168 13 )

Why Eurasian Nations Achieved Complexity .... This analysis will discuss Diamond's framework that links geography and history to explain why some nations were able to achieve complexity while others were .... (688 3 )

Historiography - Mapping the Past .... and formerly even scientific approaches are too mechanistic in Gaddis' view to ever contain or portray with any accuracy the chaos and complexity that are .... (1196 5 )

Book Review Robert Venturi: Complexity and Contradiction Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. 2nd edition. Museum of Modern Art, 1990. .... (1369 5 )

Category: Arts - C