Henri Matisse

Waddington Gallery, Londres
Collection particulière, New York
Pace Gallery, New York
Collection particulière, New York
Pace Wildenstein, New York
Acquis du précédent par le propriétaire actuel

Executed on cream laid paper, laid down on paper. The edges remain visible when framed. There are artist's pinholes to all four corners. The left, bottom and right edges are deckled. Apart from some minor studio dirt, this work is in good condition. Colours: The paper tone is fresher and creamier in the original.
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signed 'Henri Matisse'  (lower right), charcoal and estompe on paper. Executed in 1923.

En 1921, Henri Matisse s'installe définitivement Place Charles Félix à Nice. Attiré par l'atmosphère opulente de la station balnéaire où il crée certaines des œuvres les plus significatives de sa carrière, l'artiste y fait dans la décennie qui suit, de longs et fréquents séjours. Si la ville elle-même apparait essentiellement au travers de fenêtres entrouvertes, Matisse à l'inverse, choisit de représenter les figures dans le cadre intime des intérieurs. Ce parti lui permet de concentrer son attention sur l'expression sans qu'aucun élément externe ne vienne la perturber. A cet égard, Jeune femme près de la fenêtre est exemplaire des préoccupations du peintre  et  de son incomparable capacité à saisir les résonances émotionnelles de son modèle.

C'est en 1922 que, dans sa longue quête de "synthèse des formes et de la lumière", Matisse commence à expérimenter le fusain et l'estompe. Comme le souligne John Elderfield, "Dans l'oeuvre dessiné de Matisse, les remarquables études au fusain et à l'estompe réalisées entre 1922 et 1924 sont le reflet d'une telle synthèse et de ses qualités. Cette technique lui permet de 'considérer simultanément le caractère du modèle, l'expression humaine, la teneur de la lumière environnante, celle de l'atmosphère et tout ce dont le dessin peut porter l'empreinte" (John Elderfield, The Drawings of Henri Matisse, Londres, 1984, pp. 84-85).

Matisse established a permanent residence in the Place Charles Félix in Nice in 1921. Attracted to the rich atmosphere of this coastal town, the artist spent much of the subsequent decade here, producing some of the most iconic works of his career. Though images of the resort town and ocean beyond are occasionally visible in these works, often through an open window, Matisse often elected to portray his models indoors. The intimacy of this arrangement allowed the artist to focus on the artistic translation of human expression and not be agitated by external distractions. Jeune femme près de la fenêtre is an excellent example from this period and displays Matisse's singular ability to capture the emotional resonance of his model.

Matisse began to employ the medium of charcoal and éstompe in 1922 in an effort to explore the 'synthesis of form and light,' as John Elderfield describes it. Elderfield writes, 'In drawing, the great charcoal and éstompe studies that dominate the years of 1922 to 1924 reveal the character of that synthesis, at least in its first fully realized state. This particular medium allowed him, he said, "to consider simultaneously the character of the model, the human expression, the quality of surrounding light, atmosphere and all that can only be expressed by drawing". (John Elderfield, The Drawings of Henri Matisse, London, 1984, pp. 84-85).