In-text plate (page 110) from Pasiphaé: Chant de Minos (Les Crétois)
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
1943–44, published 1944
A printed page from Henri Matisse’s Pasiphaé that uses linoleum-cut impressions — a black ornamental band and red initial blocks — to fuse image, ornament, and the cadences of the French text.
You notice first the dense black floral band at the top and the bright red square initials that punctuate the restrained, classical type, creating a rhythmic play of color and empty space across the page.
Part of Matisse’s late book projects, these linoleum cuts show his move to reduce forms to bold silhouette and color, helping to rethink the book as an integrated work of modern graphic and sculptural design.
Medium
Linoleum cut from an illustrated book with 51 linoleum cuts (including wrapper)
Dimensions
composition: 2 1/2 x 6 3/4" (6.4 x 17.2 cm); page: 12 5/8 × 9 3/4" (32 × 24.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
926.1964.43
Palette
Exhibitions
