Male Model
Henri Matisse
French, 1869–1954
Paris, c. 1900
An oil-on-canvas standing nude by Henri Matisse in which the artist experiments with simplified form and color to convey the weight and presence of a male model.
The figure reads as a blocky, sculptural presence—broad, angular brushstrokes of teal, violet and warm pink carve the torso and limbs against a flat, greenish-blue ground, making the body feel both monumental and slightly unresolved.
Painted around 1900, this work marks Matisse’s move toward the Fauvist vocabulary—using expressive, nonnaturalistic color and flattened planes to rethink the body and space and help define early modern painting.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
39 1/8 x 28 5/8" (99.3 x 72.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Kay Sage Tanguy and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Funds
Accession
377.1975
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
