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Descriptif du lot
Set against a tapestry of sumptuous textiles and ornamental hangings, the figure leans back in quiet repose, surrounded by flowers and fruit, with a brazier that imbues the composition with warmth and sensuality. In Odalisque étendue II, Matisse captures the foundational structural bones of his earlier Odalisque accoudée et nature morte (collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art). Executed in 1927 at his top-floor studio at 1, Place Charles Félix in Nice, the work reflects Matisse's treatment of his workspace as a carefully constructed theatre of colour and pattern. Here, figures, textiles, and decorative objects were orchestrated like notes in a visual symphony. Art historian John Elderfield notes that these late-1920s works embody an era of accessible, luxury-driven, and ‘wish-fulfilling’ imagination cultivated within these tailored studio environments. Within this setting, floral patterns heighten the sensuality of Matisse's odalisques, transforming the figure into a timeless, universal ideal and furthering his quest to balance the individual with the archetypal.
To fully understand Matisse's approach, however, one must look to the origins of the genre itself. The trend was originally triggered by Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign, after which French artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres popularised the ‘odalisque.’ Originally referring to an Ottoman court attendant, Western artists adopted the odalisque as a classic subject for exploring the human form, capturing the figure in a relaxed pose surrounded by rich, decorative details – in this case, a striped cushion atop a Turkish rug, surrounded by decorative wall hangings, a brazier, fruit, and flowers.
‘the fullest realization of Matisse's thesis on pattern, decoration, and the odalisque...[they] are fantasies in the best sense of the word’ (Matisse: The Early Years in Nice 1916-1930, exh. cat., The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1987, p. 37). These elements were orchestrated to satisfy a voyeuristic Western fantasy of the Near East, constructed entirely from imagination and local Parisian collections rather than actual travel.
While rooted in this long tradition of nineteenth-century Orientalism, Matisse's odalisques were distinct: they were directly informed by his travels to Morocco in 1912 and 1913, which provided a real source of visual inspiration. Ultimately, as Matisse famously noted, ‘I do Odaliques in order to paint nudes. But how does one paint nude without their being artificial? Because I know that odalisques exists, I was in Morocco. I have seen some.’ (Henri Matisse, quoted in Jack D. Flam, Matisse on art, New York, 1978, p. 135) – revealing that for him, the orientalist subject served primarily as a vehicle for exploring form, color, and decoration rather than narrative or exotic fantasy.
To fully understand Matisse's approach, however, one must look to the origins of the genre itself. The trend was originally triggered by Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign, after which French artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres popularised the ‘odalisque.’ Originally referring to an Ottoman court attendant, Western artists adopted the odalisque as a classic subject for exploring the human form, capturing the figure in a relaxed pose surrounded by rich, decorative details – in this case, a striped cushion atop a Turkish rug, surrounded by decorative wall hangings, a brazier, fruit, and flowers.
‘the fullest realization of Matisse's thesis on pattern, decoration, and the odalisque...[they] are fantasies in the best sense of the word’ (Matisse: The Early Years in Nice 1916-1930, exh. cat., The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1987, p. 37). These elements were orchestrated to satisfy a voyeuristic Western fantasy of the Near East, constructed entirely from imagination and local Parisian collections rather than actual travel.
While rooted in this long tradition of nineteenth-century Orientalism, Matisse's odalisques were distinct: they were directly informed by his travels to Morocco in 1912 and 1913, which provided a real source of visual inspiration. Ultimately, as Matisse famously noted, ‘I do Odaliques in order to paint nudes. But how does one paint nude without their being artificial? Because I know that odalisques exists, I was in Morocco. I have seen some.’ (Henri Matisse, quoted in Jack D. Flam, Matisse on art, New York, 1978, p. 135) – revealing that for him, the orientalist subject served primarily as a vehicle for exploring form, color, and decoration rather than narrative or exotic fantasy.