Provenance
Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), New York, probably by late Feb. 1908–July 13, 1946; by descent to the Stieglitz Estate (Georgia O'Keefe (1887–1986), executor); given to the Art Institute, 1949.
Accession Number
66908
Medium
Charcoal, with touches of stumping, on grayish-cream wove paper, fixed, laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on buff wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 33 × 21.4 cm (13 × 8 7/16 in.); Secondary support: 35 × 23.3 cm (13 13/16 × 9 3/16 in.); Tertiary support: 42 × 30 cm (16 9/16 × 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Credit Line
Alfred Stieglitz Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Standing Female Nude Seen from the Back (1900/01) is a charcoal drawing with touches of stumping on grayish-cream wove paper. This early academic study shows Matisse working through the traditional discipline of figure drawing from life. The model stands with her back to the viewer, the pose emphasizing the structure of the spine, shoulders, and hips. Matisse's charcoal technique is bold and searching, the lines defining the figure with a freedom that already distinguishes his work from conventional academic drawing. The touches of stumping create areas of soft tone that give the figure volume. This drawing dates from the period when Matisse was studying at the Academie Carriere and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, struggling to find his artistic voice while mastering the traditional disciplines.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's early figure drawings demonstrate the academic foundation of his art, showing the discipline of observation and draftsmanship that underlay his revolutionary innovations in color and form.
Why It Matters
This charcoal study of a figure seen from the back captures the young Matisse mastering the traditional discipline of figure drawing while already showing the freedom and expressiveness that would distinguish his mature style.
