No, the deep red doesn’t soften the room. It defines it. Matisse’s 1906 portrait of a woman with a flowering branch brings colour the room can’t ignore red, mustard, soft pink and a streak of green-blue, all worked in loose, confident brushwork. Hang it where you sit and look, not where you pass through. It does its best work above a sofa, a sideboard or a writing desk, on a chalky off-white or putty wall that lets the colour do the talking. Pair it with warm oak, brass, velvet and stoneware. Keep nearby art quiet small botanicals or a calm landscape and let this one lead. Avoid hanging it beside another high-colour piece; two strong voices cancel each other out. Stretched over a wooden frame and ready to hang straight from the box.