Breakfast and Dinner in Matisse Paintings

Henri Matisse: "Breakfast" (1920).

On my recent visit to the Philadelphia art museum, I took these two photos of "Breakfast" by Henri Matisse. I have always enjoyed Matisse's imagery of intimate interiors. He frequently incorporated the patterns in clothing, tablecloths, and wall hangings or draperies to create a multi-colored effect. The woman here is obviously having a quiet breakfast and reading or maybe writing in her diary after finishing her tea or coffee and eggs, and prior to her getting dressed for the day. Intimate indeed!

Detail of "Breakfast"

I looked for some contrasting Matisse paintings of food, and came up with two earlier works from Wikipedia art. While Matisse often later painted women who had just been eating, these clearly show servants setting a table. I enjoyed the contrast in style among the three paintings, and the way both the food and the women were depicted.

Henri Matisse, "The Dessert: Harmony in Red" (1908).
From an earlier time, where the patterns seem to have taken over entirely!

Matisse, "The Dinner Table" (1897).
Obviously an early work, which looks somewhat Impressionist.
Matisse was born in 1869. 

And: "Coffee" (1916) from the Detroit Institute of Arts -- one of my favorite of
Matisse's intimate scenes.