Nu Assis dans un Fauteuil, au Décor Fleuri. Nude Seated in an Armchair. with Flowered Upholstery. by Henri Matisse, 1869-1954

Henri Matisse, 1869-1954
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Nu Assis dans un Fauteuil, au Décor Fleuri. Nude Seated in an Armchair. with Flowered Upholstery.

Original lithograph in black ink. 1924. Signed in pencil. Numbered 111 from the edition of 250. Drawn and printed in Paris 1924. Edition issued by the 'Club Artistique de Copenhague', 1924.
Ref: Duthuit - Matisse L'Oeuvre Gravé no 445

Superb impression in exceptionally fine condition. On light off-white chine volant paper. Unusually fine condition, especially for works on this type of paper; one 1/2 inch tear in the outer edge of the bottom margin repaired. Outer sheet edges with 1/8 inch strengthening to protect the sheet. Sheet: 22 1/4 x 15 3/4ins. Image: 18 7/8 x 12 1/2ins (480x319mm).

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One of the great masterworks of Matisse?s use of lithography as a medium in the mid 1920?s.

?Nu Assis dans un Fauteuil? was the third of a sequence of five large lithographs on the theme of the nude model seated in an armchair, with one leg raised and tucked behind the other, which Matisse drew in 1924/25. The sequence culminated in the famous ?Culotte Bayadère? - ?Odalisque with Striped Trousers?. In all the works in the series Matisse was interested in the way that the pose of the model, arranged diagonally across the chair, and the arrangement of the legs, created the abstract planes and depths of a sculpture in space. In the first four compositions, as above, the raised arms are also used to create a counterpoint in movement to the legs.

At the same time Matisse was also investigating the ways that contrasted surfaces can evoke a visual and emotional excitement. As in many of the nude studies of this period, the smoothness of the naked figure is set against the strong patterning of a background, here the upholstery of the chair, sometimes a flowered wallpaper or embroidered curtain. The treatment of the light in the modelling of the figure is also used to heighten the sensuality of the pose.

In the mid 1920?s Matisse?s handling of lithography has an absolutely remarkable sense of luminescence and texture. He uses the natural transparency of the inks to create an underlying glow of light, a glow echoed in the deliberate exploitation of the inherent greasiness of the lithographic chalk itself.

The edition of ?Nude Seated in an Armchair? was printed in Paris but sold in Scandinavia. Although quite large at the time of issue many of the impressions were apparently lost; also as the work was printed onto the characteristic rather poor quality ?chine volant? that was in vogue at that date very few examples have survived without extensive surface damage. This impression is exceptionally fine, especially within the picture area.