Henri Matisse - The Joy of Life 1906
The Joy of Life 1906
175x241cm oil/canvas
The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania, USA
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life) is a painting by Henri Matisse. Along with Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Le bonheur de vivre is regarded as one of the pillars of early modernism. The monumental canvas was first exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants of 1906, where its cadmium colors and spatial distortions caused a public expression of protest and outrage.
In the central background of the piece is a group of figures that is similar to the group depicted in his painting The Dance (1909-10). In the picture, there are several nude bodies of women and men in a landscape drenched with vivid color.