Danseuse Etendue au Repos. by Henri Matisse, 1869-1954

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
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Danseuse Etendue au Repos.

Original lithograph in black ink. 1925/26. Signed in pencil. Numbered 30 in pencil from the edition of 130 impressions. (There were also 28 proof impressions). Drawn in the series: Dix Danseuses - Ten Dancers. Issued by Galerie d'Art Contemporain, Paris 1927.
Ref: Duthuit-Matisse - Matisse l'Oeuvre Gravé no 485

Extremely fine rich and contrasty impression. On pale cream wove Arches paper. Generally excellent condition; the slightest trace of an old mount mark. Full margins. Sheet: 13 x 19 3/4ins. Image: 10 7/8 x 18ins (276x457mm).

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The series of studies of ballet dancers that Matisse drew in lithography in 1925-1926 rank amongst his most renowned works in the medium. At this date he was particularly interested in contrasts of surface textures and their effects on the visual appreciation of form as expressed in the pose of the figure. By posing the figures with a deliberately ?sculptural? arrangement of the limbs - the arms and legs describing depth, plane and space and using the textures of the ballet dress, with its close-fitting bodice and frilly ?tutu? skirt, as a contrast to the smoothness of the figure, Matisse achieved a unique and beautiful expression of form.

Matisse enjoyed drawing in the medium of lithography because of the special qualities of tone and surface richness that the greasy lithographic chalk could create. Unlike normal crayon the litho chalk allows the light to permeate through from the surface of the paper, and at the same time makes a texture (taken from the stone itself) on the sheet. Matisse used these characteristics to enhance the atmosphere of his images.