Goldfish

Goldfish. Henri Matisse. 1912 C.E. Oil on canvas.

• Goldfish became a recurring subject in the work of Henri Matisse.
• Goldfish, 1912 belongs to a series that Matisse produced between spring and early summer 1912. However, unlike the others, the focus here centers on the fish themselves. 
• The goldfish immediately attract our attention due to their color. The bright orange strongly contrasts with the more subtle pinks and greens that surround the fish bowl and the blue-green background. Blue and orange, as well as green and red, are complementary colors and, when placed next to one another, appear even brighter. 
• Although he subsequently softened his palette, the bold orange is reminiscent of Matisse’s fauvist years, which continued to influence his use of color throughout his career.
• But why was Henri Matisse so interested in goldfish? One clue may be found in his visit to Tangier, Morocco; he noted how the local population would day-dream for hours, gazing into goldfish bowls. 
• In a view consistent with other Europeans who visited North Africa, Matisse admired the Moroccans’ lifestyle, which appeared to him to be relaxed and contemplative. 
• For Matisse, the goldfish came to symbolize this tranquil state of mind and, at the same time, became evocative of a paradise lost, a subject frequently represented in art.
• It is also likely that Matisse, who by 1912 was already familiar with the art of Islamic cultures, was interested in the meaning of gardens, water and vegetation in Islamic art—as well as symbolizing the beauty of divine creation, these were evocations of paradise.
• Painted in his home in Paris: Matisse’s own plants, his own garden furniture, and his own fish tank.
• Goldfish invites the viewer to indulge in the pleasure of watching the graceful movement and bright colors of the fish. Matisse wanted art to be “a soothing, calming influence on the mind”. 
• The painting contains a tension created by Matisse’s depiction of space. The fish are seen simultaneously from two different angles; Matisse paints the plants and flowers in a decorative manner.
• The upper section of the picture, above the fish tank, resembles a patterned wallpaper composed of flattened shapes and colors. Matisse’s masterful use of color and pattern successfully holds everything together.
• What is more, the table-top is tilted upwards, flattening it and making it difficult for us to imagine how the goldfish and flowerpots actually manage to remain on the table.
•  Juxtaposition of viewpoints; spatial ambiguity; reassembled his own pictorial reality.
• This painting is an illustration of some of the major themes in Matisse’s painting: his use of complementary colors, his quest for an idyllic paradise, his appeal for contemplative relaxation for the viewer and his complex construction of pictorial space.
• Violent contrasts of color; thinly applied colors; white canvas shows; inspired by Asian art