Reclining Model

This is one of Matisse’s most naturalistic portraits. The woman’s face is beautifully detailed and the shadows create a sense of three dimensionality. The viewer’s eye can get lost in the crosshatching lines and shading of Matisse’s pencil. He found drawing to be the most uninhibited medium and stated that: “Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.”

Original Medium: Graphite

Original Size: 14 5/16 x 21 3/16 in.

Date: ca. 1919

Location: Yale University Art Gallery