Provenance
Dr. John J. Ireland (1889–1968), Chicago and Palm Beach, Fla., by Oct. 14, 1966; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1968
Accession Number
28833
Medium
Pen and black ink on grayish-cream wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on buff wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 31 × 19.4 cm (12 1/4 × 7 11/16 in.); Secondary support: 32.2 × 21.5 cm (12 11/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Tertiary support: 38.5 × 30.4 cm (15 3/16 × 12 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Credit Line
Bequest of Dr. John J. Ireland
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Boats (1905) is a pen and black ink drawing on grayish-cream wove paper, created during the same revolutionary summer of 1905 in Collioure. Like the companion drawing of a grounded fishing boat, this work shows Matisse's rapid, economical draftsmanship applied to the subject of boats. The composition shows multiple boats perhaps in a harbor or at anchor, their forms suggested with flowing lines that capture their shapes and their relationship to the water. Matisse's pen line in these drawings is remarkably confident: with a few strokes, he defines the hulls, the masts, the rigging, and the reflections in the water.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's 1905 boat drawings represent a breakthrough in his draftsmanship, the rapid, flowing lines capturing the essence of the subject with a freedom that matched the liberation of color in his Fauvist paintings.
Why It Matters
This rapid drawing of boats captures the essence of the harbor scene with extraordinary economy, Matisse's flowing pen line defining the forms of the vessels and their reflections with unmatched grace.
