Nude, Flowered Interior (Nu, intérieur fleuri)

Nude, Flowered Interior (Nu, intérieur fleuri) by Henri Matisse is a significant print created in 1926. Classified as a graphic work, the piece utilizes the highly technical process of drypoint combined with chine collé. This delicate medium involves etching the composition directly onto a metal plate, yielding sharp, burr-rich lines characteristic of drypoint. For the chine collé element, the etched image is printed onto a thin, often textured paper, which is simultaneously adhered to a heavier backing sheet. This technique allowed Matisse to achieve subtle textural variations and unique tonal qualities that differ distinctly from his lithographs or etchings of the same period.

The subject is characteristic of Matisse’s artistic output following his move to Nice after World War I, a period often characterized by intimate interior scenes and languid female figures. Unlike his later, highly simplified linear works, this piece showcases a rich interplay between texture and line. Matisse captures a moment of repose, where the figure is integrated seamlessly within her domestic surroundings, defined by the decorative, "flowered" elements suggested in the title. The composition exemplifies Matisse's continuous exploration of form, space, and the use of patterning to flatten and define the interior volume.

As a pivotal example of French modernist graphic art from the mid-1926s, the piece confirms Matisse’s enduring commitment to printmaking throughout his career. Although often celebrated for his painting, Matisse produced dozens of notable graphic prints as he refined his expressive use of line. This particular impression of Nude, Flowered Interior (Nu, intérieur fleuri) is held in the renowned collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, securing its status as a vital reference point for scholars studying the artist’s graphic works of the Nice period.