Seated Nude in a Tulle Blouse

Matisse's principal model during the 1920s was Henriette Darricarrère, a dancer and violinist who was working as an extra in the Nice film industry. Here, she is shown seated on the floor of Matisse's studio. The curves of her body are set against the strong geometrical lines of the room and the background, making for a simple, clean composition. In this series of lithographs, Matisse had cut loose from depicting the traditional image of a model seated in an armchair and began now to explore floor and standing poses. These works created new possibilities to explore the relationships of body and environment.