Nude in profile on a chaise longue (The Large Woodcut)
Woodblock
1906 (cut)
1906 (cut)
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This woodblock is made up of two joined planks of pearwood. Matisse (1869-1954) cut away the wood to make the design with knives, chisels and gouges to leave the stark lines, dashes and dots that form the printed image. Although an impression printed from this block was identified as a 'woodcut' in an exhibition catalogue of 1907, for many years after the print was thought to be a linocut, and described as such in many publications about Matisse. It was only when the woodblock was found in the 1960s was it universally accepted that the print was in fact a woodcut.
Object details
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| Materials and techniques | Incised fruit-wood |
| Brief description | 'Nude in profile on a chaise longue (The Large Woodcut)', woodblock (for E.276-1994), Henri Matisse, 1906 |
| Physical description | Cut woodblock depicting seated female nude in profile. Block formed from two thick joined planks. |
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| Gallery label | We can still see the chisel marks that Matisse made as he cut away the wood to create his design. As the lower lying parts of the block were not inked, they did not need a smooth finish. On the block’s surface, boldly cut waves and dots animate the space around the woman, but Matisse left the figure itself in simple outline.(August 2019) |
| Credit line | Bought with the assistance of the Lumley Cazalet Gallery, whose gift was made in memory of Frank Perls |
| Object history | Although a print from this block is described as a 'gravure sur bois' in the catalogue of the Salon des Independants of 1907, it was thought to be a lino-cut for many years and is described as such in much of the literature. Only on the re-discovery of the wood-block in the 1960s was the print re-instated as a woodcut. An edition of 50 impressions was printed from the block, one exists in MOMA and another in the BM. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This woodblock is made up of two joined planks of pearwood. Matisse (1869-1954) cut away the wood to make the design with knives, chisels and gouges to leave the stark lines, dashes and dots that form the printed image. Although an impression printed from this block was identified as a 'woodcut' in an exhibition catalogue of 1907, for many years after the print was thought to be a linocut, and described as such in many publications about Matisse. It was only when the woodblock was found in the 1960s was it universally accepted that the print was in fact a woodcut. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.609-1975 |
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| Record created | December 6, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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