Still Life with Apples on Pink Cloth

Henri Matisse knew how to play with colours. Like most of his Still Life paintings, he brought a beautiful illusion with beautiful colours in Still Life with Apples. The first thing a viewer notices in the painting is a beautiful pink table cloth with four apples on it and another green fruit.

The table cloth has a fold that separates the apples from a white floral kettle on the other side. On either side of the table, one can see two pillars that are yellow with some dark green flowers. The background is sky blue with some dark blue and black flowers. Just behind each pillar, a viewer can see some white big flowery figures. In the first look, one would think they are cotton wool buds.

This painting is a classical image of still life showing beautifully displayed yellow apples set against a pink cloth. The pink table cloth blends well with the background and is among Henri's most exceptional fine arts. He used a very interesting theme to portray his style and subject. According to art analysts, the artist wanted to show an intimacy of scale between the apples, the cloth, and the background. With a closer look at the painting, a viewer can see that the table's angle follows the picture plane in a frontal style. The fruits and the pitcher or kettle also follow a particular topography, exceptional in all his Still Life paintings.

Henri Matisse stood out as one of the most influential artists in the 10th century. While most of his works were influenced by his life situations and human models, he also drew inspiration from other artists. Some of these artists are Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh. They hugely impacted his art career. He studied art and began drawing. Matisse took some time before he discovered his style and stuck with it. If one looks at his work, they can notice the rich colour play and contrasts. His love for bright colours and powerful brushstrokes can be seen in most of his still life paintings. He showed a majestic play of colour and placement in Still Life with Apples on a Pink Tablecloth.

Today, you will find this painting at the National Gallery of Art under Chester Dale Collection. Henri was and is still a celebrated artist even to date. His other famous works include Woman in a Purple Coat (1937), The Open Window (1905), Goldfish and Palette (1914), Bathers by a River (1917), and Dance (1910).