---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art should be something like a good…"
description: "\"Art should be something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.\" — Henri Matisse"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/henri-matisse-1641_armchair_art-should-be-something-like-a-good-armc_3213850.jpg"
---

#  Art should be something like a good armchair in which to…

![“Art should be something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.” quote by Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/henri-matisse-1641_armchair_art-should-be-something-like-a-good-armc_3213850.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/henri-matisse-1641_armchair_art-should-be-something-like-a-good-armc_3213850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/henri-matisse-1641_armchair_art-should-be-something-like-a-good-armc_3213850.jpg)

> “Art should be something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.”

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art should offer comfort and relief, like a supportive chair that eases bodily weariness.

**In simple terms:** Art is a comforting rest.

Key Takeaway

Seek art that soothes you.

Themes

comfort rest artistic purpose

Mood

relaxed reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- Long work days
- physical exhaustion
- creative blocks
- stress relief

Key Concepts

Aesthetics well‑being psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does art help you recover from fatigue?
- What qualities make a piece feel like a chair?

A Different Perspective

Art may not always provide true relief if over‑intellectualized.

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[Armchair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armchair/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/)

## Related quotes

> [What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/what-i-dream-of-is-an-art-of-balance-of-purity-and-serenity-devoid-of/)

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> [I dream of an art of balance, of quietness, something analogous to a good armchair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-dream-of-an-art-of-balance-of-quietness-something-analogous-to-a/)

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> [You can't do business sitting on your ... armchair!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feargal-quinn/you-can-t-do-business-sitting-on-your-armchair/)

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[Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/)

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> [From a distance, everyone will be able to read text, enlarged and limited to the desired subject, projected on an individual screen. In this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-otlet/from-a-distance-everyone-will-be-able-to-read-text-enlarged-and/)

Paul Otlet

> [When I paint a woman in an armchair, the armchair is there to show illness and death-or as a protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-paint-a-woman-in-an-armchair-the-armchair-is-there-to-show/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [“Thriving requires all five types of rest—physical, mental, emotional, creative, and social. Start small, and watch your energy and focus soar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felecia-etienne/thriving-requires-all-five-types-of-rest-physical-mental-emotional/)

[Felecia Etienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felecia-etienne/)

> [It is my dream to create an art which is filled with balance, purity and calmness, freed from a subject matter that is disconcerting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/it-is-my-dream-to-create-an-art-which-is-filled-with-balance-purity/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [“Soapy Sam looked as though he had just sat down on a favourite armchair which had gone missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/soapy-sam-looked-as-though-he-had-just-sat-down-on-a-favourite/)

[John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/)

> [“I only meant, you know, you shouldn’t be wasting your time on imbeciles. I know how hard it is to find the right person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/i-only-meant-you-know-you-shouldn-t-be-wasting-your-time-on-imbeciles/)

[Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/)

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[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [“And then one day, you too disappear. Your armchair is still there. But instead of you sitting in it, there is just an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/and-then-one-day-you-too-disappear-your-armchair-is-still-there-but/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“And nobody has the right to judge a soldier from the warmth and safety of their armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/and-nobody-has-the-right-to-judge-a-soldier-from-the-warmth-and/)

[Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/)

## More by Henri Matisse

> [The wall around the window does not create two worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-wall-around-the-window-does-not-create-two-worlds/)

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> [Arrival = Prison, and the artist must never be a prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/arrival-prison-and-the-artist-must-never-be-a-prisoner/)

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> [To arrive is to be in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/to-arrive-is-to-be-in-prison/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back on the ticket. I would have felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-saw-what-a-mess-everything-was-in-i-asked-for-my-money-back-on/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

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[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature. It was given to us so that we can express our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/color-was-not-given-to-us-in-order-that-we-should-imitate-nature-it/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [If it is practiced by a man of taste, the photograph will have the appearance of art (but) the photographer must...intervene as little as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/if-it-is-practiced-by-a-man-of-taste-the-photograph-will-have-the/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

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[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [The chief function of color should be to serve expression as well as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-chief-function-of-color-should-be-to-serve-expression-as-well-as/)

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[Explore all 219 Henri Matisse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

## More Armchair quotes

> [“And nobody has the right to judge a soldier from the warmth and safety of their armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/and-nobody-has-the-right-to-judge-a-soldier-from-the-warmth-and/)

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[John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/)

> [If rehearsed eye-rolls and sneers and armchair psychology worked, and were interesting, Fox wouldn't be number one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dagen-mcdowell/if-rehearsed-eye-rolls-and-sneers-and-armchair-psychology-worked-and/)

[Dagen McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dagen-mcdowell/)

> [I dream of an art of balance, of quietness, something analogous to a good armchair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-dream-of-an-art-of-balance-of-quietness-something-analogous-to-a/)

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[Princess Michael of Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-michael-of-kent/)

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> [“The saggy armchair of clichés.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-saggy-armchair-of-clich-s/)

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> [By legend and perhaps by nature philosophers are more accustomed to the armchair than the workbench.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/by-legend-and-perhaps-by-nature-philosophers-are-more-accustomed-to/)

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> [The painter’s instrument is his armchair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-vuillard/the-painter-s-instrument-is-his-armchair/)

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