Reclining Nude II

This bronze vividly demonstrates the two central concerns that Matisse addressed in his sculpture: evident surface manipulation and evocative distribution of forms in space. The rounded hip and other curving volumes dominate the sculpture when seen from the front. By contrast, the artist took bold liberties with the original clay surface defining the back of the sculpture, including emphatic gougings into the lower back, and left leg and thigh. Matisse’s interests in surface and form coalesce dramatically in the raised arm, however, where massive planing of the surface underscores its stark silhouette.