Nude in Three-Quarter Profile, Part of the Head cut away
Paris, 1913
Crayon transfer lithograph on Japanese paper
50.4 x 33.1 cm
Matisse’s nude figure is an expression of neither idealism nor realism.
With its simple but strong lines and cropped features, it is, rather, an almost abstract product of pure drawing. The image would have been drawn on paper with crayon and sent to a specialist printer for transfer to a lithographic stone or plate. Matisse was thereby able to retain the focused immediacy of his drawing style, unencumbered by the demands of printmaking technique. Confident and expressive lines define the figure in a joyful celebration of his subject. From an edition of 50.
Purchased 2000 (No. 2000.1)