Provenance
Emily Crane Chadbourne (1871-1964), Stone Ridge, NY, by Nov. 1910 [London, 1910 exh. cat.]; given to the Art Institute, 1926.
Accession Number
31768
Medium
Graphite, with traces of erasing on tan wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 33 × 21.7 cm (13 × 8 9/16 in.); Secondary support: 35.1 × 23.6 cm (13 7/8 × 9 5/16 in.); Tertiary support: 44.4 × 34.2 cm (17 1/2 × 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Nude in Profile (1903-04) is a graphite drawing on tan wove paper showing a female nude in profile. This work from the period just before the Fauvist revolution of 1905 shows Matisse still working within a relatively naturalistic mode, but with a growing confidence and simplification of form. The graphite technique is precise and controlled, the lines defining the figure's profile with clarity and economy. The tan wove paper provides a warm ground. The model is shown in profile, the pose emphasizing the silhouette of the body. Matisse's treatment of the figure emphasizes its sculptural qualities, the contour defining the form with a precision that reflects his study of classical sculpture and Renaissance drawing.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's pre-Fauvist figure drawings are essential to understanding his development, showing the classical discipline that underlay his radical innovations in color and form.
Why It Matters
This graphite profile study captures the sculptural beauty of the female form with precision and economy, Matisse's confident line revealing the classical foundation of his modernist art.
