Henri Matisse
Nude Female Model Seated on a Stool, Facing Right
c. 1900
Scroll
Henri Matisse
Nude Female Model Seated on a Stool, Facing Right
c. 1900
Physical Qualities
Black crayon on paper, Sheet: 260 × 211 mm. (10 1/4 × 8 5/16 in.)
Mat: 18 × 14 in. (45.7 × 35.6 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.12.54
Unlike more typical "academy" studies, here Matisse used drawing as a means of exploration, rather than as an academic practice intended to perfect technical skill. This drawing probably comes from a period shortly after Matisse studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts when he continued to meet with artist friends to draw from the model. At the Ecole, Matisse studied with Gustave Moreau (1826-1898), a teacher who encouraged self-expression. One of Matisse's colleagues in Moreau's studio, the painter George Rouault (1871-1958) said of Moreau, "He taught us to discipline our will without any preconceived method; to have respect for a certain interior vision." Matisse is less concerned with modeling volume and form than he is occupied with the articulation of the figural pose, the linear rhythm of the limbs, and the figure's structural balance.
Acquired by Etta Cone from the artist, 1906
BMA, Cone Rotation, March-April 2002.
"Matisse and Modern Masters from The Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, 3 October - 28 December, 1996; Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, 8 January - 11 February, 1997.
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, "Matisse: le rythme et la ligne," 24 February - 10 May 1987.
Katy Rothkopf and Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Modern Influence: Henry Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore," October 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022.
"Matisse and Modern Masters from The Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, 3 October - 28 December, 1996; Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, 8 January - 11 February, 1997.
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, "Matisse: le rythme et la ligne," 24 February - 10 May 1987.
Katy Rothkopf and Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Modern Influence: Henry Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore," October 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022.
Guillaud, Maurice, and Jacqueline Guillaud. Matisse: le rythme et la ligne. Paris: Guillaud Editions, 1987, plate no. 107.
Senzoku, Nobuyuki, ed. Matisse and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art = Kon korekushon ten. [Tokyo]: "Kon Korekushon" Ten Katarogu Iinkai, 1996, page 98, no. 42.
Cozzi, Leslie and Katherine Rothkopf (eds). "A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2021. ill.
Markings: Watermark: "Abbey Mills/ Greenfield" surmounted by a crown
