View of Collioure by Henri Matisse Canvas Print Size:A3 painted on a sky-blue background

painted on a sky-blue background

or anywhere you'd pour a drink at six

lines feel sharper

Go a size larger than feels safe — the painted houses

or on a narrow run of wall beside a dresser

View of Collioure by Henri Matisse Canvas Print Size:A3 painted on a sky-blue backgroundIn 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