Henri Matisse
A Glimpse of Notre-Dame in the Late Afternoon
From $80
This painting is yellow, pink, orange and green at full strength, and a cheap copy muddies the colours. Our Matisse Joy of Life print was graded from a high-resolution master so every colour stays pure and bright.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
16x12 inch, 24x18 inch, 28x20 inch, 40x28 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its wide shape suits a living room, a studio or a long wall. The yellows and pinks look joyful with white, terracotta and natural wood, and a natural or white frame suits it.
About the painting
Le Bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life) by Henri Matisse
Paris, 1905–1906
In 1905 Henri Matisse’s first wild, bright paintings had been mocked at the Salon d’Automne. His answer was this huge canvas, almost two and a half metres wide.
Joy of life
Nude figures dance, play music and rest under trees in a landscape drenched in yellow, pink, orange and green. In the background a ring of dancers foreshadows his later Dance.
Outrage
At the Salon des Indépendants in 1906 it caused outrage. The painter Paul Signac wrote that Matisse had gone to the dogs; Picasso set out to outdo it. It belongs to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
Read the story
Figures dance, play music and rest under trees, in a landscape of yellow, pink, orange and green.
In 1905 Henri Matisse's wild new paintings had been mocked at the Salon d'Automne. Critics called him and his friends the Fauves: the wild beasts.
His answer was this: a huge canvas, almost two and a half metres wide, called The Joy of Life.
He made sketch after sketch for it. In the background, a ring of dancers holds hands, the idea he would turn into his Dance a few years later.
When he showed it in 1906, at the Salon des Indépendants, there was outrage. Even the painter Paul Signac, who had bought his work before, wrote that Matisse had gone to the dogs.
Picasso, on the other hand, was so struck that he set out to outdo it, and painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
Today the two paintings are counted as pillars of modern art. The Joy of Life belongs to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
Find the ring of dancers, and then the figures resting in front.
Le Bonheur de vivre. Henri Matisse, 1905 to 1906.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
