Untitled from Ten Dancers (Dix Danseuses)

Untitled from Ten Dancers (Dix Danseuses) by Henri Matisse is one individual lithograph selected from the celebrated portfolio of ten prints created in 1927. This body of work emerged during the French artist’s significant Nice period, a time characterized by an intensified interest in classical forms and the figure of the dancer. As a print, the work utilizes the medium of lithography, a technique that allows Matisse to explore the expressive potential of a single, unvarying line against a white ground.

The graphic nature of the lithograph demands a formal rigor that contrasts with the lush, decorative color of Matisse’s paintings from the same period. Here, he employs a masterful economy of line to suggest motion, volume, and the fleeting pose of the dancer. The focus is purely on composition and gesture, capturing the dynamism and grace inherent in the human form. This work, like the others in the Ten Dancers series, demonstrates the artist's profound commitment to distilling his subjects to their essential structures.

Matisse frequently utilized sequential prints and illustrations as a critical parallel practice to his painting, allowing him to investigate fundamental concerns of line and space. These prints are highly valued for their formal clarity and their contribution to Modernist graphic arts. The production of such comprehensive portfolios enabled the widespread distribution and study of Matisse’s evolving aesthetic during the late 1920s.

This significant example of French graphic art, created in 1927, provides essential insight into Matisse’s versatile command over different media. It reflects his ongoing exploration of the human figure, rendered here through simplified contours and powerful visual directness. This print is currently maintained within the prestigious collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.