...Alone, at the Foot of the Great Locust Tree... (...Seule, au pied du grand caroubier...) (plate, page 71) from Pasiphaé: Chant de Minos (Les Crétois)
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
1943–44, published 1944
A linoleum cut printed in a book in which Matisse reduces a seated woman to a single flowing white contour on a black ground to suggest a private, melancholic moment.
What immediately strikes the eye is the dramatic black rectangle pierced only by an elegant, continuous white line that folds the woman’s body into a tight, introspective curl, turning negative space into sculptural presence.
A product of Matisse’s late-career experiments with linocut and book design, this image exemplifies his radical economy of line and the modern rethinking of figure–ground that influenced subsequent graphic art and illustration.
Medium
Linoleum cut from an illustrated book with 51 linoleum cuts (including wrapper)
Dimensions
composition: 9 11/16 x 7 1/16" (24.6 x 17.9 cm); page: 12 5/8 × 9 3/4" (32 × 24.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
926.1964.18
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
