Henri Matisse

Estate of the artist
Lumley Cazalet, London
Acquired by the present owner circa 2000

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount in all four corners, floating in the mount. All four edges of the sheet are deckled. There are artist's pinholes to all four corners and at the centre of the left, right and lower edges. There is a tiny repaired pinhole to the right of centre and several very light specks of foxing to the sheet. Apart from some minor time staining to the extreme edges, due to previous mounting, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although slightly brighter in the original work.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although Henri Matisse worked in pen and ink throughout his celebrated career, he executed very few broadly-rendered ink drawings after his Fauve period (circa 1905) until the 1940s, when he turned to brush and ink to create a series of drawings that equal the richly shaded charcoal drawings of the same period. The Fauve drawings are composed of a network of lines, spots and scribbles that create the effect of abrupt contrasts of light and shade. The brush and ink drawings of the late 1940's possess a classical discipline, reminiscent of the ancient art of calligraphy, and a refined sense of overall design. The artist fills the entire sheet in grand, gestural strokes of the brush. The present work is a signature 1940s brush and ink - it perfectly embodies Matisse's style in the broad brushstrokes and sureness of line. In only thirteen lines of the brush Matisse creates this stunning image of Jacquy; an image that goes to show the artist's inherent genius.

Pierre Schneider finds the brush drawings of this period interchangeable with the paintings of the same name, 'which only goes to prove they have the same identity. These large dazzling black and white sheets of paper are Matisse's last paintings' (Pierre Schneider, Matisse, New York, 1984, pp. 652-654).