#1: Harmony in Red
Last summer, I purchased a phone case from ArtPointOne, an online store that sells fine art gifts printed on everyday items: ceramic mugs, tote bags, and even Apple Watch bands. At first, I was torn between Vincent Van Gogh’s “Skeleton with Burning Cigarette” (1886) and Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” (1907-08). But without hesitating, I decided on Henri Matisse’s “The Dessert: Harmony in Red” (1909) for only three reasons: it caught my attention immediately, it portrayed a woman who did not look like me, but at the time, felt like me, and, in all honesty, red is my favourite color. “The Dessert: Harmony in Red,” also known as “The Red Room,” was first exhibited as “Harmony in Blue” in 1908. However, Matisse was dissatisfied with the result and smeared it red, becoming the predecessor for “The Red Studio” (1911). Art has a way of capturing us in the space and time in which it premiered. What was deemed confusing and obtuse for its time is now celebrated as a pivotal work of modernis...