Because beauty has for a long time now been politically incorrect (at least among certain influential critics and academic historians) the art of Henri Matisse has recently suffered from a kind of benign neglect. His goals were luxury, calm, and voluptuousness, not social critique. Liberated from any vital connection with everyday life, they often seem merely escapist. This article explores precisely how Matisse's paintings succeed in achieving their unfashionable goal. What is it that makes the work of Matisse so serenely beautiful? The author follows Matisse's life through a study of the aesthetics of specific paintings.