Left arm of one figure parallels the right leg of her companion and the hairstyles and facial features of both women are similar. He succeeded in this through several means: aĭiagonal line begins with the legs of the figure on the left and continues up through the guitar, in which the colors of the left-hand woman's dress and legs are repeated the right arms of both figures are in the same pose the Matisse's primary challenge here was uniting the two figures in a compositionally harmonious way. In the composition of La Musique, various shapes are repeated throughout, horizontal and vertical linesĪnchor the diagonals and the curves, and the placement of colors is perfectly balanced. All elements had to be placed with great care. When in reality, the unity and rhythm he achieved were far from easy. Henri Matisse viewed composition as, 'the art of arranging in a decorative manner the various elements at a painter's disposal for the expression of his feelings.' One of his goals was to create paintings that appeared effortless, The Cit de la Musique is completed by a music library holding a unique collection of documents, and a large concert hall where artists from all genres perform. Like in The Dance, the aim was to show man'sĪttainment of a state of completeness by immersion in creativity. One can virtually trace the steps Matisse took to find the intended effect. Preparatory sketches, and thus the painting bears many traces of modifications. The painting was commissioned by Sergei Shchukin, who hung it with Dance on the staircase of his Moscow mansion.

The Music (La Musique) is a painting made by Henri Matisse in 1910. Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau), 1905.

La musique