Provenance
Sold to Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), New York, by Mar. 1912 [according to Washington DC 2001]; by descent to the Stieglitz Estate (Georgia O'Keefe (1887–1986), executor); given to the Art Institute, 1949.
Accession Number
66915
Medium
Pen and black ink on tan wove paper, laid down on cream Japanese paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 24 × 31.5 cm (9 1/2 × 12 7/16 in.); Secondary support: 26.1 × 33.5 cm (10 5/16 × 13 1/4 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Credit Line
Alfred Stieglitz Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Female Nude Lying Facedown on a Table (1911/12) is a pen and black ink drawing on tan wove paper, laid down on cream Japanese paper. This drawing shows a figure in a relatively unusual pose, lying facedown on a table, which allows Matisse to explore the forms of the back, shoulders, and buttocks from an unconventional angle. The pen and black ink technique is fluid and expressive, the lines flowing across the paper with the confidence that characterizes Matisse's mature draftsmanship. This drawing dates from the period when Matisse was at the height of his pre-war career, having achieved international fame and financial security.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's figure drawings from the 1910s represent the culmination of his early career, achieving a perfect balance between the sensuousness of the subject and the intellectual rigor of the formal composition.
Why It Matters
This drawing of a nude lying facedown captures the beauty of the human form from an unusual angle, Matisse's flowing pen line defining the curves of the body with a combination of sensuality and formal precision.
