Joy of Life - Piece of Art by Henri Matisse

THE JOY OF LIFE

(By Henri Matisse P.480 12.22)

The piece of art that I have chosen for my critical analysis would be "The Joy of Life" painted with oil on canvas my Henri Matisse. This is a painting depicting modernism; it was painted in 1905-06. This painting can be located in The Barnes Foundation in Merion Pennsylvania. Henri Matisse was sometimes referred to as "A wild beast" for his exploration of color and for giving his art an unfinished look, he was anything but.

In this painting the artist Henri Matisse used very bold flat lines to bring out the bodies of the figures and certain other shapes in the painting. In this painting there are many figures clad in nudity finding their own way to make peace of this day. There are figures dancing others playing instruments, and others embracing each other. The lines were drawn smoothly outlining every curve of every figure and object without making the painting look obscene.

This painting is oriented horizontally and is 175x241 cm in size. It is not an extremely large painting. The figures are not lifelike in size which would probably give a more powerful impression. When you look at it though, you are able to see the peace that the figures in the painting are feeling. When you close your eyes you can almost put yourself in the painting and feel the joy that it gives off.

In the design Matisse has the figures covering a large area of the meadow. These figures are all doing something different. Our eyes are made to look at the entire painting instead of just one single area. The shapes of the trees and other inanimate objects in the painting provide a covering of sorts so that we are made to see the true meaning of the painting and not just figures running around in the nude.

One unifying device used in this painting would have to be the curves of not only the figures but also the trees. The trees seem to cloak the individual figure in privacy giving them the freedom to celebrate their bodies in any fashion they deem necessary. Another unifying device used in this painting would be the color contrast. The trees are brightly colored but the figures are mainly outlined bringing definition to their bodies. Each color is used sparingly though as not to make the painting look crowded. He emphasizes the figures by placing a halo of bright color around their bodies bringing out each individual curve.

Matisse makes the figures look happy and calm in an environment that would sometimes raise hostility. These figures seem to be happy and stress free and depict a time when people did not worry about the small stuff but just made a day in peace. Some of the bodies are slender some more plump but nobody seems to mind. The message behind this painting seems to be the peace of mortality and the inner beauty and happiness that people find.