
Still Life with Geranium
Henri Matisse · 1906
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 100.3 × 81.5 cm (39 1/2 × 32 1/8 in.)
- Currently held
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Modernism
Still Life with Geranium captures Matisse at the height of his Fauvist powers — a riot of warm reds, deep greens, and luminous surface energy that transforms a simple potted plant into something almost electric. Painted in 1906, this work belongs to the brief but seismic period when Matisse and his circle abandoned naturalistic colour entirely in favour of hues chosen for their emotional force. Rather than rendering shadows in brown or grey, Matisse floods his canvas with pure, unmodulated tones, building form through contrast and rhythm rather than shading. The geranium's bloom sits within a composition that feels simultaneously casual and precisely arranged — domestic in subject, monumental in presence. The term "Fauvist" was born from a critic's insult: when this style debuted at the 1905 Salon d'Automne, Louis Vauxcelles described the painters' booth as a cage of wild beasts (fauves). Matisse wore the label with equanimity and continued producing work of extraordinary confidence. Now held at the Art Institute of Chicago, the original rewards close looking. A skilled hand-painted oil reproduction on canvas honours that experience — carrying the weight of brushwork and the vibrancy of layered colour that no print can replicate.
Hand-painted oil reproduction
Painted in real oil on stretched canvas by master copyists. Delivered unframed — ready to frame at home.
Choose a size
In Matisse's style.
Send us a photograph of your family, pet, or home — we'll paint it as a custom oil on stretched canvas in any style you like. From £220.

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