Henri Matisse 1869-1954

Matisse's Bathers by a River

 Henri Matisse, Baigneuses à la rivière, 1909-10, 1913, 1916-1917,

 huile sur toile, 260 x 392 cm (The Art Institute of Chicago)

Bathers by a River is one of Matisse's largest paintings. Matisse produced three variations on the theme of the female nude in a pastoral setting, including Dance II and Music. With its restricted palette and severely abstracted forms—the rigid, predominantly gray figures appear more like stone than flesh. Bathers by a River is far removed from Dance II and Music, both of which convey a graceful, hedonistic lyricism. The sobriety and hint of danger in Bathers by a River may in part reflect the artist's reaction to the terrible, war-torn period during which he completed it.

( http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/79307  )

Matisse, Odalisque with Magnolias

1923/24 - Oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 31 7/8" (65 x 81 cm)

Private collection