Henri Matisse (1869 — 1954) used a wide range of media for his drawings, such as pencil, charcoal and stump, pen and ink, quill and brush. He made sketches on the sheets from sketchpads, margins of letters and, certainly, on fine arts paper. His sketches were intended both for his paintings and sculptures. Matisse’s drawings not only surround, precede, accompany and extend other artistic forms in his oeuvre, but also reveal themselves as independent constellations.
The exhibition illustrates the main moments in this artistic journey of Matisse, arranged in 14 thematic and chronological sequences. The exposition begins from the apprenticeship years at the very start of the 20th century, through the studies for the chapel of the Rosary in Vence (1948−49) and ends with the final masterpiece and culmination of an entire lifetime for artist.
Left: Henri Matisse, "Large Red Interior" (1948). Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris
The exposition identifies the pivotal points in Matisse’s approach to drawing—from the black of ink or pencil to the modulated white of paper, from the softness of smudged shadows to the light emanating from the final brush drawings. Here we can see his experiments with colour in his painting or his work on volume in his sculptures. Each room in the exhibition offers a dialogue between drawings and paintings, etchings and sculptures. Works are echoing each other and bringing an extra touch in the atmosphere of his various studios. This is first one on Quai Saint Michel, in Paris from 1894, then in Issy-les-Moulineaux from 1909, and finally, in Nice from 1918 until his death in 1954. A small exception is the period of 1943−48, which Matisse spent in Vence.
Left: Henri Matisse, "Young woman in white (Extended model in white dress)" (1946). Museum of Fine Arts, Lyon.
