Harmony in Red is a masterpiece created by France-based artist Henri Matisse in 1908 which thought to be Matisse's representative masterpiece by some critics. This painting went through three stages, first it was painted green, then it was ordered blue, but it was finally painted over with Matisse's preferred red. It was totally red when seen from the distance.
In this painting, Matisse created vivid collision by using contrasting colors, red and black, orange and blue, yellow and purple. We can see a maid is placing fruit in the bowl. It’s pointed out that the maid is an alter ego of Matisse himself and there is a connection between Matisse’s painting a picture and the maid’s arranging a table. Both the wall and the desktop are painted in scarlet and decorated with blue vine pattern, cultivating an atmosphere of exotic and mysterious. Matisse limited his perspective in this work, leaving out the line around the table, the chair and the window in an innovative manner by cutting them off. Matisse employed a few strokes with perspective of embellishment, such as window frames, the chair, things on the table and vine pattern around the edge of the table.
Through the window, the trees and plants silhouetted against the green ground and the blue sky without clouds are visible, becoming part of the pattern.
Although this painting, Harmony in Red, depicts a dining-room, is considered to be a view of the artist inside his studio which were like sacred space.
Harmony In Red 1908
