Loading

Bowl of Apples on a Table

Henri Matisse1916

Chrysler Museum of Art

Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, United States

The freedom and spontaneity of Henri Matisse’s early Fauve compositions gave way to a formal discipline inspired by Cubism around 1913. This influence pervades the Chrysler’s canvas, where a simple still life—a bowl of apples on a pedestal table in front of a curtain or louvered door—achieves a remarkable presence and power though its spare geometry and frontally ordered design. The sweeping arc of the upturned tabletop and its flattened spine and legs lock the composition into a tight, symmetrical design. Despite these formal concerns, the poetry of Matisse’s color prevails. The apples, brilliant in hue, glow magically in their yellow bowl, as if lit from within.

71.515

Show lessRead more
  • Title: Bowl of Apples on a Table
  • Creator: Henri Matisse
  • Date Created: 1916
  • Physical Dimensions: 45 1/4 x 35 1/4 in. (114.9 x 89.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
  • Rights: © 2014 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
Chrysler Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites