...And I Will Finally Rest in the Nothingness That I Covet... (...Et je me reposerai enfin dans le rien que je convoite) (plate, page 47) from Pasiphaé: Chant de Minos (Les Crétois)
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
1943–44, published 1944
A linoleum cut by Henri Matisse from his illustrated book Pasiphaé in which the artist pares a woman's face down to flowing, decorative lines and flat black areas to capture its essence with striking economy.
You first notice the flat black rectangle pierced by sinuous white curves that sketch a calm, mask-like face framed by braided, wave-like hair and a single rose, giving the image an ornamental, rhythmic presence.
Made during Matisse's late-career experiments with printmaking, this boldly reductive image shows how simplified line and negative space could reinvent portraiture and inform modern book illustration and graphic design.
Medium
Linoleum cut from an illustrated book with 51 linoleum cuts (including wrapper)
Dimensions
composition: 9 5/8 x 7" (24.5 x 17.8 cm); page: 12 5/8 × 9 3/4" (32 × 24.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
926.1964.11
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
