Henri Matisse
A Glimpse of Notre-Dame in the Late Afternoon
From $80
This painting is a vast field of deep blue, and a cheap copy turns it to purple. Our Henri Matisse The Conversation print was graded so the blue stays deep and the garden stays green.
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
20x16 inch, 30x24 inch, 40x32 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 bedroom or a large wall. The deep blue looks striking with white, navy and pale oak, and a black or natural frame suits it.
About the painting
The Conversation by Henri Matisse
Husband and wife
Between 1908 and 1912 Henri Matisse painted himself and his wife, Amélie, facing each other. He stands at the left in striped pyjamas; she sits at the right in black, in front of a flat blue wall and a window onto the garden.
A stern encounter
The biographer Hilary Spurling calls it a stern encounter. Soon after they met, in 1897, Matisse had warned Amélie that, dearly as he loved her, he would always love painting more.
Pyjamas
Pyjamas had only recently come to Europe from India, where tea planters wore them, and from then on Matisse worked in them. Shchukin bought the painting directly from him; it is now in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.
Read the story
A husband and wife face each other across a blue room. Neither of them is smiling.
The man in striped pyjamas is Henri Matisse himself. The woman in black is his wife, Amélie.
Between 1908 and 1912 he painted them like this, more than two metres wide, against a wall of deep, flat blue, with a window onto a green garden between them.
His biographer, Hilary Spurling, calls it a stern encounter.
It points back to a promise. Soon after they met, in 1897, Matisse warned Amélie that, dearly as he loved her, he would always love painting more.
And the pyjamas? They'd only recently arrived in Europe from India, where tea planters wore them. From then on, Matisse wore pyjamas to work in his studio.
By this time he had left behind the loose, wild brushwork of his Fauve years for something flatter and calmer.
The Russian collector Sergei Shchukin bought it straight from Matisse. After the Revolution his collection was taken by the state, and the painting is now in the Hermitage.
Look at the space between them, and at the window in the middle.
The Conversation. Henri Matisse, 1908 to 1912.
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.
