Marguerite

Marguerite by Henri Matisse, created in 1919, is a significant example of the artist's sustained engagement with graphic arts during the immediate post-war era. Classified as a print, the work utilizes the highly specialized medium of drypoint enhanced with chine collé. This demanding technical combination allowed Matisse to achieve the delicate, velvety lines characteristic of drypoint while simultaneously integrating a subtle texture or tonal variation provided by the thin, secondary paper layer used in the chine collé process. This careful craftsmanship demonstrates Matisse’s mastery of line and shadow, which became central to his aesthetic focus in his prints from this period.

The year 1919 marks a crucial point in the French artist’s career, often associated with a phase of classical restraint following the intensity of his earlier Fauvist experiments. While residing primarily in Nice, Matisse frequently returned to intimate figure studies and portraits, often depicting recognizable models or family members. During this time, the artist sought a clarity and purity of form achieved through line economy. Unlike his contemporaneous paintings, this particular drypoint print emphasizes structure and outline, using minimal modeling to define the figure’s presence on the page. Matisse used the inherent properties of drypoint-where the displaced metal burr holds extra ink-to create areas of darker, richer tone, lending surprising depth to an otherwise minimalist composition.

As a limited edition artwork, the technical brilliance of this piece lies in its subtle interplay between the precise etched line and the overlaid paper texture, characteristic of high-quality prints from the era. Marguerite is essential viewing for understanding Matisse’s evolution in graphic output. This refined work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it serves as a superb example of the artist's continued exploration of portraiture and printmaking techniques during his transitional period.