Description:
[§]
HENRI
MATISSE
(FRENCH
1869-1954)







SEATED
YOUNG
WOMAN
WITH
A
BOUQUET
OF
FLOWERS







1923,
signed
in
pencil
to
margin
and
numbered
47/60,
lithograph







29cm
x
20.5cm
(11.5in
x
8in)



















































Notes:
Note:






''What
I
dream
of
is
an
art
of
balance,
of
purity
and
serenity
devoid
of
troubling
or
disturbing
subject
matter...like
a
comforting
influence,
a
mental
balm
-
something
like
a
good
armchair
in
which
one
rests
from
physical
fatigue.''








Henri
Matisse
is
generally
considered
one
of
the
most
important
artists
of
the
twentieth
century,
and
a
leading
figure
in
modern
art.
He
made
prints
throughout
his
career,
starting
working
in
lithography
in
1906,
and
returning
to
it
again
and
again.
The
offered
work
dates
from
a
particularly
productive
period,
when
from
1922-25
Matisse
created
fifty
lithographs,
mainly
of
women
and
decorative
patterns.


Artistically,
Matisse
viewed
printmaking
as
an
extension
of
drawing,
and
thus
a
direct
expression
of
the
artist''s
thoughts.
Formally,
it
was
an
opportunity
to
re-focus
on
line
and
composition.
The
painterly
qualities
of
lithography
particularly
suited
Matisse''s
technique,
and
his
interest
in
rich
detail
and
texture.
In
fact,
Matisse
preferred
a
version
of
lithography
called
transfer
lithography
where
instead
of
drawing
directly
onto
the
stone,
the
artist
was
able
to
utilise
transfer-paper,
drawing
directly
onto
the
paper,
the
image
was
then
transferred
onto
the
stone
and
printed.
This
meant
the
image
was
not
reversed
and
often
the
grain
of
paper
was
captured
within
the
image.


Seated
Young
Woman
with
a
Bouquet
of
Flowers
reflects
Matisse''s
key
interests
in
print-making.
The
subject
is
a
young
woman,
surrounded
by
decorative
patterns.
He
creates
a
bold
composition,
by
angling
different
patterns
against
each
other.
There
are
the
expected
visual
patterns
-
the
floral
pattern
in
the
sitter''s
blouse,
and
on
the
vase,
and
the
bold
horizontal
striping
of
the
blinds
behind
her,
but
these
are
juxtaposed
with
patterning
created
by
the
artist
to
add
depth
and
texture,
his
graphic
mark-making
in
the
table
surface
and
the
distant
sky.
It
has
been
suggested
that
even
when
working
in
monochromatic
prints,
Matisse''s
works
have
the
sense
of
being
colourful.
That
is
true
here.
We
can
easily
imagine
the
bold
colours
that
would
feature
in
an
oil
painting
version,
especially
in
the
bold
patterning,
yet
the
monochromatic
simplicity
allows
Matisse''s
compositional
insight,
and
ability
to
manipulate
the
qualities
of
lithography,
to
really
shine.