Gallery review

Matisse from SFMOMA The of art gallery attended is SFMOMA Art gallery. It is situated in San Francisco, United States. The exhibition that was attended was Matisse from SFMOMA. It displays arts from Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) and SFMOMA. It is being held from November 2013 till September 2014. There were many displays of artists, about 23 paintings and drawings. The work of Henri Matisse is being displayed that shows his inclination towards rich patterns of interiors from the years of 1920’s and 1930’s. Henri Martise, La Conversation, 1938 has been selected (Gardini).
The painting is done oil on canvas. The size of the painting is 18 3/8 inches x 21 ¾ inches. The overall work is proportionally correct even though the second lady who is sitting is disproportionate in structure. One cannot find out whether she is sitting on a bed sheet or if she has a comforter on her lap. The two ladies are the focal point in the portrait. The work is balanced as the painter as used dark and light colors both. However, It is noticed that the lady who is wearing the black dress has the dark background whereas the second lady is also wearing a dark dress but the background color is light which makes one wonder whether the colors schemes should be less vibrant in order to have a balanced portrait. The color schemes are vibrant. It is a very colorful image. The artist has used warm colors and tried using contrasting colors that make the characters of the painting stand out in the portrait (Gardini).
One of the formal characteristics identified in the painting is that the artist has not emphasized on the hair of the two women. One can only tell that the characters are women while looking at the shape of the dresses. Moreover, the expressions of both the women are not intense. While looking at the portrait, it would be difficult to estimate the mood of the women, which should be an essential part of the painting. However, the vibrant colors are the main attraction of the portrait. The main function of the piece is to represent women in vibrant and colorful colors. It shows two women who may be enjoying a leisure time with each other in a garden or a place where there is beauty and they are thinking or talking to each other (Gardini).
Works Cited
Gardini, Ashley. Thoughts on Matisse at the Legion of Honor. 2013. 29 April 2014 .