A grandfather clock sits approximately in the center of the composition, serving as a vertical axis that brings balance and harmony to the spatial discontinuities of the studio.

The paintings and objects within the room, seemingly suspended in the sea of red, establish a sense of spatial depth by creating angles and perspective in an otherwise flat picture.

The spatial discontinuities of the table, the objects in the room, the chairs on the right side of the canvas, and the window on the left wall give the sense that this is the artist's environment, dominated by creativity and color more than laws of natural order.

[6] Similarly, the expressive use of color and forced perspective is comparable to Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh's The Night Café, yet once again it is clear how Matisse adapted these elements to his own aesthetic interests.

Even Fauvism, a style which Matisse himself developed with other artists in Paris, leaves its mark on the work in the use of bold color and disdain for realistic, representational painting.

Matisse's technique in L'Atelier Rouge to use just one bold, rich color to create the entirety of the composition–by strategically using the absence of the red–would significantly impact the succeeding generations of Modern artists.

This painting was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1 May–10 September 2022) and the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen (13 October 2022–26 February 2023).