"The Dance" by Henri Matisse — History, Analysis & Where to See It

The Dance: Matisse's Ode to Pure Joy

The Dance is one of the most iconic paintings of the twentieth century and the masterpiece of Henri Matisse's Fauvist period. Measuring over 2.5 meters tall and nearly 4 meters wide, the monumental canvas depicts five nude figures holding hands in an ecstatic ring dance against a landscape reduced to three bands of color — blue sky, green hill, and the vermilion of the dancers' bodies.

Commissioned by the Russian textile magnate Sergei Shchukin in 1909, the painting now hangs at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it serves as a testament to the radical simplification of form and color that Matisse championed. The Dance strips painting down to its essentials and delivers something primal — the pure, physical joy of movement.

The Story Behind The Dance

The Dance originated in a commission from Sergei Shchukin, a wealthy Moscow merchant and one of the most adventurous art collectors of his era. Shchukin had already acquired numerous Matisse paintings for his Moscow mansion and in early 1909 asked the artist to create two large decorative panels for the staircase: one depicting dance and one depicting music. Matisse produced a preliminary version of The Dance in 1909 (now at MoMA in New York) before completing the larger, more vivid final version in 1910.

The motif of a ring dance appeared in Matisse's work as early as 1905–1906, notably in the background of his painting Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life). Matisse was drawn to the circle dance as a universal symbol of communal celebration, one that transcended specific cultures. He cited Catalan fishermen dancing the sardana on the beach as one inspiration, and the round dances of ancient Greek art as another.

When the painting was exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris in October 1910, it provoked a scandal. Critics were appalled by the flatness, the crude drawing, and the garish color. Even Shchukin briefly wavered, cabling Matisse that he could not accept the panels because of the nude figures. He soon changed his mind, however, and both The Dance and its companion Music were installed in his Moscow home by December 1910.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Shchukin's collection was nationalized. The Dance was transferred to the Museum of New Western Art in Moscow and eventually to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it has been displayed since 1948.

Artistic Analysis: Technique & Style

Radical Simplification

Matisse reduced the entire composition to three colors: vermilion red for the bodies, green for the earth, and blue for the sky. This extreme simplification was revolutionary in 1910 and reflected Matisse's belief that color itself could carry the full emotional weight of a painting. There is no modeling, no shadow, no perspective — just flat areas of saturated color that create an almost overwhelming visual impact.

The Ring of Figures

The five dancers form a circle that is almost, but not quite, closed — two hands at the lower left reach toward each other without touching, creating a dynamic tension that animates the entire composition. The circular arrangement implies perpetual motion: the dance has no beginning and no end. The figures lean and strain with their whole bodies, conveying the physical effort and abandon of the dance.

Line & Contour

Matisse drew the figures with bold, fluid outlines that recall the arabesque lines of Art Nouveau and the contour drawings of ancient Greek vase painting. The bodies are deliberately simplified, almost boneless, with limbs that bend and flow like organic tendrils. This emphasis on line over volume reflects Matisse's famous statement that he wanted to create an art “of balance, of purity and serenity.”

Monumental Scale & Decoration

At 260 × 391 cm, The Dance was designed as architectural decoration — it was meant to be seen while ascending a staircase, filling the viewer's peripheral vision and creating an immersive experience. Matisse conceived of the panel not as an easel painting to be contemplated from a fixed point but as an environmental work that would transform the space around it, anticipating the large-scale installations of later twentieth-century art.

Where to See The Dance

The Dance (1910) is permanently displayed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. It hangs in the museum's collection of modern European art, typically in Gallery 343 or a nearby room on the third floor of the General Staff Building.

The Hermitage is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM (until 9:00 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays). The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month. To see The Dance without heavy crowds, visit early on weekday mornings.

If you use ArtScan at the Hermitage, you can point your camera at The Dance or any other artwork to instantly receive artist information, historical context, and analysis of the techniques used.

Fun Facts About The Dance

• There are two versions. Matisse painted a preliminary version in 1909 (now at MoMA in New York) with softer, more pastel colors before creating the larger, more vivid final version in 1910 for Shchukin.
• The collector almost rejected it. When Shchukin saw the finished painting, he initially cabled Matisse to say he could not accept the nude panels. He changed his mind within days, later calling the works “the most beautiful paintings in my collection.”
• It caused a scandal in Paris. When exhibited at the 1910 Salon d'Automne, The Dance was attacked by critics who found its flatness and crude drawing offensive. One critic called it “the work of a child.”
• The circle dance motif appears earlier in Matisse's work. A similar ring of dancers appears in the background of Le bonheur de vivre (1905–1906), and Matisse cited Catalan fishermen dancing the sardana as a direct inspiration.
• It was nationalized after the Russian Revolution. Shchukin's entire collection, including The Dance, was confiscated by the Soviet government in 1918. The paintings passed through various Moscow institutions before settling at the Hermitage.
• Matisse used only three colors. The entire monumental composition is painted with just vermilion red, viridian green, and ultramarine blue — a radical decision that anticipated the color-field painting of the 1950s and 1960s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is The Dance by Matisse located?

The Dance (1910) is displayed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. An earlier 1909 version is at MoMA in New York.

Who commissioned The Dance?

Sergei Shchukin, a wealthy Russian textile magnate and one of the most important collectors of modern art, commissioned the painting in 1909 as a decorative panel for the staircase of his Moscow mansion.

Why are only three colors used?

Matisse deliberately reduced the palette to vermilion, green, and blue to achieve maximum emotional and visual impact through simplification. He believed that color freed from descriptive duties could express feeling more directly than any detailed rendering.

What does The Dance represent?

The painting represents the primal joy of communal dance and physical movement. Matisse drew on universal traditions of circle dancing, from ancient Greek ritual to Catalan folk dance, to create an image of shared human ecstasy that transcends any specific time or place.

Is there more than one version of The Dance?

Yes. Matisse painted a preliminary version in 1909 (now at MoMA in New York) with softer colors, and the larger, more vivid final version in 1910 (at the Hermitage). He also created a separate mural commission on the theme of dance for the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania in the 1930s.

Why is The Dance important?

The Dance is a landmark of modern art for its radical simplification of form, color, and composition. It demonstrated that monumental painting could be achieved with the simplest means and profoundly influenced later movements including Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting.