Provenance
Emily Crane Chadbourne (1871-1964), Stone Ridge, NY and Washington, D. C., by Nov. 8, 1910; given to the Art Institute, 1926.
Accession Number
31748
Medium
Reed pen and black ink on white wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper, laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Primary support: 23.6 × 29.9 cm (9 5/16 × 11 13/16 in.); Secondary support: 31.8 × 23.5 cm (12 9/16 × 9 5/16 in.); Tertiary support: 38.3 × 31.4 cm (15 1/8 × 12 3/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Credit Line
Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Seated Female Nude, Holding One Knee, with Sketch of a Foot (August 1909) is a reed pen and black ink drawing on white wove paper. This drawing shows a nude figure seated with one knee drawn up toward her chest. The pose is one of introspection and self-containment. Matisse's reed pen line is bold and flowing, the contours defined with confident economy. The sketch of a foot on the same sheet shows him working out a detail. This drawing dates from the summer of 1909, a period of intense creativity when Matisse was producing some of his most important works including the large paintings Dance and Music for the Russian collector Sergei Shchukin.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's figure drawings from 1909 show the consolidation of his mature style, the bold, flowing line displaying the confidence that defined his later work.
Why It Matters
This seated nude captures introspective grace, Matisse's flowing reed pen line defining the form with a combination of spontaneity and precision.
