©Henri Matisse - Study of a Nude 1899

Henri Matisse - Study of a Nude 1899
Study of a Nude
1899 65x50cm oil/canvas
Tokyo Bridgestone Museum of Art

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From Tokyo Bridgestone Museum of Art:
A nude woman with a majestic body stands on a stage in the middle of the room. In the background, we can glimpse the artist painting her. The warm oranges of the model’s body and the greens in the background are complementary colors, intensifying her vivid presence. Matisse’s use of pointillist brushwork in this painting shows the influence of Neo-Impressionism, but the artist’s experimentation with strong colors and his placement of colors suggest that he is moving toward becoming a Fauve. It was during this period that Matisse’s colleague Marquet, apparently working at an easel side-by-side with Matisse, painted his Fauvist Nude (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux).