View of Collioure by Henri Matisse Art Print wildlife and a single brass lamp

and a single brass lamp

A black or oak frame keeps the colours honest

The big cut-out petals do the work of a small artwork twice their size

and the walls

View of Collioure by Henri Matisse Art Print wildlife and a single brass lampIn 1906, this would have felt radical. It still does. Matisse cut loose with colour here warm sand, soft green, dusty blue and a few flashes of warm red and the painting still carries that easy energy more than a century later. Put it on the wall and a quiet room warms up. The colours are gentle, but the brushwork keeps things alive. It draws the eye without dominating. It's at its best on a wide wall above a sofa, sideboard or low bookcase. Eye level