© Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Tea

1919

Henri Matisse

Oil on canvas

140.3 × 211.3 cm

Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, United States

In 1917, Matisse moved to Cimiez, a suburb of Nice, France. During the following decade, his works started to exhibit a more relaxed and gentle style. This Tea was a characteristic of many artworks after the First World War. Tea depicts two figures and a dog enjoying a leisurely time in a garden, with gentle sunlight filtering onto the ground. The figures' forms still retain Matisse's bold "Fauvist" style, which, although seemingly rough at first glance, effectively captures the lazy and comfortable atmosphere that the painting seeks to convey. The treatment of the figures' faces also reflects Matisse's influences from African art and primitivism in his creative process