Henri Matisse

Vincent Roux, Saint Tropez  (sold: Palais Galliéra, Paris, 26 March, 1977, lot 80

Jan Krugier, Geneva

Galerie Schmela, Dusseldorf

Private Collection, Germany

Private Collection (acquired by the present owner circa 1980 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 8, 2006, lot 8)

Acquired at the above sale

Lydia Deletorskaya, With apparent ease...Henri Matisse, Paris, 1908, illustrated p. 295

Excellent condition. The sheet is taped to the mount intermittently along the top edge and at the two lower corners. There is an inherent irregularity to the sheet at the at the upper right and some slight yellowing in the upper right corner. Over all, this work is in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Maternité is strong example of Matisse's late 1930s charcoal compositions of female figures in an interior setting. Part of a series of drawings on the theme of maternity which he began in January 1939, the present work shows two female figures, one with an infant at her breast, with a view of Nice through the window behind. The period of 1935-39 also marks a new inspiration in Matisse’s figural style and emphasizes his intense focus on the model, when Lydia Delectorskaya begins posing for him on a daily basis. The positioning of the figures in the present work, centered on the infant, illustrates a warm and affectionate moment between woman and child.

The present drawing illuminates the structure of Matisse’s artwork during this time, when he would immerse himself in both painting and drawing, focusing on one in the mornings, and starting another in the afternoons. The nuances of shadow and texture in Maternité amidst Matisse’s swift, curving black outlines lend a movement and vibrancy to the composition which can only be enhanced by the brilliant colors of his paintings in Nice. Matisse later wrote, “I believe study by means of drawing is most essential. If drawing is the Spirit and color of the Senses, you must draw first, to cultivate the spirit and to be able to lead color into spiritual paths” (Henri Matisse, in a letter dated February 14, 1948, printed in L. Delectorskaya, op. cit., p. 86).

 

By the time the present work was drawn, Matisse had become a highly skilled draughtsman in several mediums. He viewed it as one of his greatest forms of expression. John Elderfield writes that charcoal drawing in particular was preferred by Matisse during this period, saying, " they are realized entirely on their own terms, and without exception show Matisse's stunning mastery of this especially sensual medium. The tonal gradations are extraordinarily subtle, yet appear to have been realized very spontaneously, and the keen sense of interchange and interaction between linear figure and ground adds tautness and intensity to their compositions... at their best they are emotionally as well as technically rich and show us a more mortal Matisse than his line drawings do" (John Elderfield, The Drawings of Henri Matisse, London, 1984, pp. 118-119).