Provenance
Emily Crane Chadbourne (1871-1964), Stone Ridge, NY, by Nov. 8, 1910; given to the Art Institute, 1926.
Accession Number
31749
Medium
Graphite, with traces of erasing, on ivory laid paper (discolored to cream), laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 27.7 × 21.7 cm (10 15/16 × 8 9/16 in.); Secondary support: 29.7 × 24 cm (11 3/4 × 9 1/2 in.); Tertiary support: 44.4 × 34 cm (17 1/2 × 13 7/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Girl with a Cat (1910) is a graphite drawing with traces of erasing on ivory laid paper, depicting a young girl holding or playing with a cat. The subject of a child with an animal was a popular theme in art, allowing artists to explore the relationship between human and animal, innocence and nature. Matisse's treatment is characteristically economical: the girl's features and the form of the cat are suggested with minimal lines that capture the essence of the subject. This drawing from 1910 belongs to the period of Matisse's fullest maturity, and it shows his ability to find grace and beauty in the most ordinary subjects.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's drawings of children and animals demonstrate the range of his human sympathy, showing that his formal innovations were always grounded in affectionate observation of life.
Why It Matters
This graphite drawing of a girl with a cat captures the grace and innocence of childhood with Matisse's characteristic economy, the minimal lines creating an image of delicate beauty and affection.
