My Gallery
Matisse, Henri
Seated Woman
drypoint on paper, ed. 4/25
1973 Purchase
Known for his colorful paintings, Henri Matisse also produced a great number of etchings and lithographs. In many of his paintings and prints he depicted the female figure with exaggerated forms. Late in his career, when his work had achieved world-wide recognition, Matisse said, "If I met a woman in the street who looked like my paintings, I'd faint."
Matisse's family wanted him to study law, but while recovering from appendicitis, he began to paint. He eventually abandoned his study of law and went to Paris to study art. While in Paris, he became associated with the Fauvists, or "wild beasts" who were artists noted for their use of brilliant colors and exaggerated forms. In his work, Matisse sought the expressive qualities of color and line. He admired Japanese woodcut prints for their simplicity of line and forms. He was an accomplished printmaker who produced most of his prints between 1914 and 1929. In "Seated Woman" Matisse used line in a sparing manner while eliminating details. It possesses the qualities that are characteristic of his figurative work.