Provenance
Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), New York, probably by Feb. 23, 1910; by descent to the Stieglitz Estate (Georgia O'Keefe (1887–1986), executor); given to the Art Institute, 1949.
Accession Number
66916
Medium
Graphite, with stumping, on tan wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 30.9 × 23.6 cm (12 3/16 × 9 5/16 in.); Secondary support: 32.9 × 25.7 cm (13 × 10 1/8 in.); Tertiary support: 37.9 × 30.5 cm (14 15/16 × 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Alfred Stieglitz Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Standing Female Nude, Twisting toward Her Back (c. 1908) is a graphite drawing with stumping on tan wove paper that captures the figure in a complex, twisting pose. The model stands with her body rotated, one arm reaching toward her back, a pose that emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the figure and the articulation of the spine and shoulders. Matisse's graphite technique is assured and expressive, the lines defining the figure with a combination of precision and freedom. This drawing belongs to the period when Matisse was establishing himself as the leader of the Fauvist movement and developing the more structured approach to composition that would characterize his work in the following years.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's figure drawings from 1908 show the evolution of his draftsmanship from the spontaneous freedom of the Fauvist period toward the more structured, monumental approach of his later work.
Why It Matters
This graphite drawing of a figure in a twisting pose captures Matisse's mastery of the human form, the confident line and subtle modeling conveying the three-dimensional presence of the body with remarkable economy.
