One of Robert Houle’s earliest paintings, Red Is Beautiful was inspired by geometric designs used in traditional woven bags, patterns that Houle encountered in Carrie A. Lyford’s book Ojibwa Crafts (1943), which provided him with an early introduction to traditional Ojibwa designs. He was drawn to the spiritual relationships between these patterns and traditional ceremonial objects. The painting foreshadows Houle’s future direction—a vision and practice that embraces modernism, Indigenous designs, and spiritualism.