Marguerite Reading

Marguerite Reading by Henri Matisse, executed in 1906, is a seminal example of the artist’s mastery of expressive line using ink on paper. This spare, elegant French drawing depicts the artist’s daughter, Marguerite, captured in a quiet, private moment of study. Created around c. 1906, the work dates to a pivotal moment following the apex of Fauvism, illustrating Matisse’s transition toward even greater formal economy.

Matisse utilizes bold, reductive contour lines to define the subject, efficiently conveying the weight and posture of the figure bent over her reading material. Unlike the vivid colors that defined his output in oil paint during this same period, this piece privileges structure and form, showcasing the fundamental importance of drawing as a foundational practice for the artist. The minimal background and lack of shading direct the viewer’s entire attention to the silhouette and the psychological concentration of the sitter.

Throughout the early 20th century, Matisse often used his family members, and especially Marguerite, as recurring subjects for experimentation, allowing him to explore radical shifts in representation within familiar parameters. This drawing provides crucial insight into his evolving concepts of structure and line just before the maturation of Cubist influence in Paris.

The work resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it stands as a celebrated drawing from the modernist era. As a key example of Matisse’s graphic output, high-quality prints and reproductions of this piece are widely consulted by scholars studying the development of 20th-century French art.