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Lot Essay
In the summer of 1919 Henri Matisse welcomed the Swedish art historian Ragnar Hoppe to his Parisian studio for an interview. During the course of their conversation, Matisse described the new direction he wished to explore in his most recent paintings: “I first worked as an impressionist, directly from nature,” he explained. “I later sought concentration and more intense expression both in line and color, and then, of course, I had to sacrifice other values to a certain degree, corporeality and spatial depth, the richness of detail. Now I want to combine it all, and I believe I will be able to, in time” (interview with R. Hoppe, quoted in J. Flam, ed., Matisse on Art, Berkeley, 1995, p. 76). Painted the following year, Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête demonstrates the truth of Matisse’s intentions, simultaneously showcasing his renewed focus on the figure through the early 1920s, as he began to explore a more volumetric and sensuous approach to the human body, and his growing interest in the decorative play of line and color in his work.
At this time, Matisse was spending extended periods each winter in the South of France, stationed in the Hôtel de la Méditerranée et de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, having first ventured south in late December 1917 in order to escape the cold and dismal Parisian weather. The soft, diffused light of the Mediterranean at this time of year brought a new creative energy to his paintings and he set to work in his room overlooking the waterfront. Using his contacts at Nice’s art schools to source professional models to sit for him, Matisse began to work intensively on depictions of the figure, most often posed in the modest suite of rooms he occupied. “An old and good hotel, of course!” he reminisced with Francis Carco in 1953 of the Hôtel de la Méditerranée. “I stayed there four years for the pleasure of painting nudes and figures in an old sirocco sitting room. Do you remember the light we had through the shutters? It came from below as if from theatre footlights. Everything was fake, absurd, amazing, delicious” (quoted in J. Cowart and D. Fourcade, Matisse: The Early Years in Nice, 1916-1930, exh. cat., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1986, p. 24).
Painted in 1920, Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête comes from a concentrated sequence of closely related canvases that demonstrate this refreshed focus on the figure in Matisse’s work. Across the series, the same female model is portrayed seated in a rounded, yellow armchair, her curvaceous form captured in varying states of undress. While in some works she appears in a nightgown or a sheer peignoir, in the present painting the woman is completely nude, her soft contours delineated in clear, flowing black outlines. Matisse uses delicate layers of subtly variegated brushwork to convey a sense of the weight, volume and three-dimensionality in her form, the tones shifting from warm peach, to rosy pink and a pale creamy hue, as the light falls across her body. Folded into an informal pose, one arm propped beneath her head as she sits patiently before the artist, the young model appears quietly relaxed in the well-appointed interior, providing a glimpse into the easy atmosphere of Matisse’s workspace in the South of France.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the composition is the interplay of different textiles and decorative patterns within the hotel room, which draw the eye in opposing directions. From the bold, floral swirls of the carpet, to the intricate detailing of the yellow upholstered chair, to the red striped cloth draped across a small side-table, the viewer is confronted by a dynamic sequence of colorful, eye-catching motifs that contrast and complement one another. Many of these objects and textiles travelled with Matisse over the years, as he moved from room to room within the hotel, and later to his own apartment in Nice. As such, they became a cast of characters in their own right, which he could call upon in a variety of situations and compositions to enliven the scene. As with several other works from this series of paintings, Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête positions the young model in a quiet corner of the hotel room, eliminating any sense of the external world—even the tall windows, which the artist often liked to throw open for a view onto the promenade below, are covered over by heavy orange drapes. In this way, Matisse conjures a vivid impression of the enclosed, contained atmosphere of his creative space during these years, where he was able to focus on his painting without distraction, reaching new levels of innovation in his work as a result.
Matisse was clearly pleased with the progress he had made in Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête, and chose to include it in his one-man show at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie. in October 1920. It was also illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, positioning the painting as a key example of his most recent work and the ongoing evolution of his style. Last seen at auction over seventy years ago, the painting was purchased for the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in 1988.
At this time, Matisse was spending extended periods each winter in the South of France, stationed in the Hôtel de la Méditerranée et de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, having first ventured south in late December 1917 in order to escape the cold and dismal Parisian weather. The soft, diffused light of the Mediterranean at this time of year brought a new creative energy to his paintings and he set to work in his room overlooking the waterfront. Using his contacts at Nice’s art schools to source professional models to sit for him, Matisse began to work intensively on depictions of the figure, most often posed in the modest suite of rooms he occupied. “An old and good hotel, of course!” he reminisced with Francis Carco in 1953 of the Hôtel de la Méditerranée. “I stayed there four years for the pleasure of painting nudes and figures in an old sirocco sitting room. Do you remember the light we had through the shutters? It came from below as if from theatre footlights. Everything was fake, absurd, amazing, delicious” (quoted in J. Cowart and D. Fourcade, Matisse: The Early Years in Nice, 1916-1930, exh. cat., National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1986, p. 24).
Painted in 1920, Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête comes from a concentrated sequence of closely related canvases that demonstrate this refreshed focus on the figure in Matisse’s work. Across the series, the same female model is portrayed seated in a rounded, yellow armchair, her curvaceous form captured in varying states of undress. While in some works she appears in a nightgown or a sheer peignoir, in the present painting the woman is completely nude, her soft contours delineated in clear, flowing black outlines. Matisse uses delicate layers of subtly variegated brushwork to convey a sense of the weight, volume and three-dimensionality in her form, the tones shifting from warm peach, to rosy pink and a pale creamy hue, as the light falls across her body. Folded into an informal pose, one arm propped beneath her head as she sits patiently before the artist, the young model appears quietly relaxed in the well-appointed interior, providing a glimpse into the easy atmosphere of Matisse’s workspace in the South of France.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the composition is the interplay of different textiles and decorative patterns within the hotel room, which draw the eye in opposing directions. From the bold, floral swirls of the carpet, to the intricate detailing of the yellow upholstered chair, to the red striped cloth draped across a small side-table, the viewer is confronted by a dynamic sequence of colorful, eye-catching motifs that contrast and complement one another. Many of these objects and textiles travelled with Matisse over the years, as he moved from room to room within the hotel, and later to his own apartment in Nice. As such, they became a cast of characters in their own right, which he could call upon in a variety of situations and compositions to enliven the scene. As with several other works from this series of paintings, Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête positions the young model in a quiet corner of the hotel room, eliminating any sense of the external world—even the tall windows, which the artist often liked to throw open for a view onto the promenade below, are covered over by heavy orange drapes. In this way, Matisse conjures a vivid impression of the enclosed, contained atmosphere of his creative space during these years, where he was able to focus on his painting without distraction, reaching new levels of innovation in his work as a result.
Matisse was clearly pleased with the progress he had made in Nu au fauteuil, main gauche sous la tête, and chose to include it in his one-man show at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie. in October 1920. It was also illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, positioning the painting as a key example of his most recent work and the ongoing evolution of his style. Last seen at auction over seventy years ago, the painting was purchased for the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in 1988.