Today, I want to share one of my favorite paintings by one of my favorite artists!

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954), the French Expressionist painter, favored bold palettes and cheerful scenes. He painted “The Dessert: Harmony in Red” in 1908.

Often the use of red in painting is designed to give the viewer a feeling of horror, seediness, or a sinister feeling, particularly when it’s the predominant color. Matisse uses red quite a bit in his art, but there’s no negative feeling here. Instead, it’s a cheerful, bright scene and rather than upset the viewer or make him anxious, the red simply serves to lock in the viewer’s attention.