The knife thrower (1947)

"The knife thrower" (1947) is a work by Henri Matisse. Abstract in brief: Abstract art moves away from depicting recognisable objects and relies on colour, line, shape, and surface instead. It emerged in the early twentieth century, when several artists in Europe and Russia developed non-representational painting during the 1910s. Context for 1947: Photography, film, and print culture became part of the language of art, and artists across the world developed their own responses to modernism. The range of materials widened to include acrylic paint, screen printing, and mixed media. It is listed in the Abstract collection. The image is in landscape orientation.

Your purchase of "The knife thrower" on onlly.art is a digital download: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI. After payment the download link arrives by email, and you can send the files to any print service you trust. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Abstract compositions work through rhythm, colour, and form, which makes them especially effective in modern interiors and in spaces that need a strong visual accent without a literal narrative. If you are unsure about size, measure the wall first, then pick a frame whose proportions follow the image. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

French, 1869–1954

If you like the visual language of Henri Matisse, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.