Warm foreground,cool background.Colour as a form of perspective.The abstract organic nature of the composition:
the figure as patttern in the wallpaper:tendrils growing within
and without.The merging of tablecloth and wall paper.The
tendency towards Islam.Sensationalisation of reality.Mondrian.

John Sharman, Rugby, England

aren't those trees covered in blossom? i think this is a very careful, wonderfully detailed and expressive painting which makes me feel energetic even though the subject is so still

heather, chiswick, uk

A picture of 2 snowy trees, cold and still, inside a picture of a red crimson wall and table, where all is cosy quiet with a velvet feeling is the 1st contrast.
There is no shadow , the lady is as stiff as a robot there is no life here but there is food! Matisse work is unacertive and rushed.
..

christiane hossain, london, uk

warm - likes i've just had a shot of vodka

morna, London,

Matisse loved pattern and colour. Perhaps his passion for pattern dominated his work in his mid life. He painted many pictures where various and clashing patterns are his main interest. It was later in life when it was harder for him to see that he turned so sharply to colour. He has done better.

Carlyle Braden, Croydon, U.K/USA

This is my favourite painting in the whole world! It makes me feel passionate & alive!! I can't wait to see the real thing, I just love it

Lucy, Vancouver, Canada

How does it make me feel? Hungry. Is this the effect of the vibrant red or just that I haven't had breakfast yet. And no, I don't know art.

Lori, Bundaberg, Australia

it makes me smile - it is astonishingly beautiful - extremely strong and powerful but at the same time deeply evocative - it dominates but in a really gentle and encompassing way

Lovely

Debra, Oxford, UK

When I stood in front of it earlier this year at the From Russia exhibition, I felt dumbstruck and thought "what the hell...?!"

Now I remember the impact, and feel curiously passionate when I look at it. Enveloped and eager.

Laura Roberts, London, UK

Just looking at the painting makes me feels claustrophobic. The overwhelming use of red (the tablecloth and the wall) and lack of clear delineation between the table and the wall seems to suggest that it is hiding something (even if it is not the class), making one feels uncomfortable.

Petricia, Singapore,

Depressing, oppressive and evil. It's hiding something.

Tara, Winchester,

it makes me feel tense and unhappy.

emma, durham,

Just looking at the painting is odd to note that the table cloth has the same motif? as the wall paper, and strange double vanishing point; the wall or the window.
Red is a colour usually associated with hunger.

L Ballaam, Townsville, Australia

Well, from a non-art-critic point of view, I think it looks like a bathroom tile. So, I guess one could agree with Sue from Brazil, 'cosy picture', 'feels like home'.

Claude, London,

It is a room without a way in, without an entrance. It is as flat as a deflated balloon. The woman is as important as the pattern on the wall or the circular fruit. It is about color and design, and because of this impersonality, I can find Matisse to be a frustrating painter, even if I love his art

JimT, Brewster, United States

Matisse had subconscious premonition of the red revolution in
Russia!

ramakrishnan, Chennai, india

Claustrophobic! Hard to breathe!

Stephanie Robinson, Ottawa, Canada

I suppose all art is inviting us to feel something ( not "making" us feel ), but I cannot feel anything for this picture. It's pleasant, and harmonious, as Sue from Sao Paulo has pointed out, and I would hang it on my wall for a while. I am not moved to leave it there permanently.

JB, Nantwich, England

frankly it makes me feel angry, hot and as if I need to do some weeding )o:

Yvonne , Ely Cambs,

How strange to have a table-cloth and wallpaper of the same design.

Liz, London,

I love this picture - probably because it reminds me of my own home...my friends refer to my flat as 'the Red Room' The painting is rich and warm and vibrant...food's being set on the table...the maid is present, all's well with the world...looks like embroidery...what's not to like?

laura, brighton, England

This is a masterwork??? BORING! As if Matisse was painting a dream that doesn't make any sense. It has no depth, shading, or light. I wouldn't go out of my way to view this in person.

Chris, Greensboro, NC, USA

Int'ing concatenation of p/pective: table, chair, window frame, verdure, bldg; then diffuse bluey sky. The near-merging of wall/table is off-putting, as are invasive tendrils and menacing shrubs. Madame's head and neck are points of stiff angularity. I like the points of yellow, mirroring the fruit.

Michael Mitchell, Tokyo,

The painting looks surreal to me. Is the scenery in the background a view outside the room or a painting hung on the wall?

Matthew, Hong Kong,

This is a really boring stagnant 2D picture. There is no sense of movement or sensual inspiration. A flat heavy work no attempt to capture depth of light or shade. As if the artist is really bored and struggling but stoically soldiering on to complete something he is not satisfied with.

Anne Glen, Durham, Durham

Christmas !

jen Garcia, westport ct, usa

It reminds me of being a small child and being home from school ill on a cloudy, damp October day. I find the colours in this painting subdued and the one dimensional perspective reminds me of wallpaper. It makes me feel a bit unhappy.

Kwev, London, Uk

My ten year old has painted better.

andy, lincs, uk

despite being primarily crimson and having the pattern of the vines all over it, there remains a clear depth and strong perspective clearly marked throughout. I love it! But then again, I've always been a Matisse fan...

sharonn, Sydney, Australia

She is preparing for a happy event or festival like Chinese traditional Spring Festival.

Wendy, Haikou, China

I find it very harmonious indeed! The contrast between red and blue and the disposition of the images make a quite cosy picture... feels like home. Loved it.

Sue, Sao Paulo, Brazil