Woman In Purple

Woman in a Purple Coat by Henri Matisse is a beautiful portrait. That is located at the Museum of Fine Arts, in The Audrey Jones Beck Building. It was made in 1937 during a period called Expressionism. This painting has a dimension of 81 cm x65.2 cm and has a smooth surface, when looking at it. This is one of the many oil painting that Matisse painted during his time. In the artwork the first thing we see is a woman wearing a long purple coat. Some might compare it to a trench coat in today’s modern world. She has short blonde hair, pale skin, and vibrant blue eyes. In her surroundings are many different patterns and colors, like reds, greens, blacks, yellows, and blues. On the left of the women is a table with a vase of flowers, which are starting to wilt. On the table directly below the flowers, are fruits that
appear to be apples and a lemon. The women seem to be sitting on a floor cushion pushing forward, which make her the main focal point. Lastly, there is some sort of booklet at her feet. The art work is exotic and conveys an emotional experience. With that said, this painting strays away from the idea of realism. The most important visual elements used in this painting would have to be color, lines and shapes.
The colors that are being used are very bright and grabs your attention immediately. Different shades of red, green, yellow, blue, white, black, and purple is used. The coat being the only purple thing in the painting draws you toward it. The use of black as an outline helps push the objects on the canvas out more. There is so many emotions running through this portrait because of the colors. I see the happiness of living a beautiful and fulfilled life. The lines give the painting a three-dimensional look. The objects appear to be jumping out at us, the women in the purple coat being a prime example. Then there’s the shapes and patterns that puts her closer against the wall or corner, rather than in the middle. By combining the elements of her longue area you can clearly see the walls behind her, this is because of Emphasis. Variety and Movement is also important designs in this portrait. The way the women is placed, she could easily float of the painting. The variety of different shapes and sizes helps the painting come together
seamlessly. This artwork belongs to the Expressionism period, it was a movement of poetry and painting. The painting is of Matisse model who became his assistant, Lydia Delectorskaya. When she fled from Russia during the 1917 revolution, Lydia would soon meet Matisse in France thereafter. Expressionism occurred before the first world war, so it was the calm before the storm. The meaning of this painting does not change just because its in a museum in Houston, TX. I think Matisse wanted people to see how happy this time was for him and connect it to their own live. The location shouldn’t stop you from receiving the message. A person from a completely different culture or lifestyle from me would view this art work the same way. I think they will see happy emotions because of the many colors, lines and shapes. I also think the artist is trying to unity people through emotion. He wants use to know how happy this time was for him and how beautiful life can be. This art work is secular, and I think he choose this subject to show the different moods of emotion. By Matisse using oil on canvas, he got to use vibrant and bright colors. The media had a major contribution to the work of art because color is the main element used. I choose this portrait because it stood out from the rest. I like to think of my self as a very happy person and bright colors are sure to make me smile.