Details
The image
A sculpture photographed against a plain ground, the body seen from behind and above, the surface left rough where the material was worked. The lettering is small at the base and the sheet gives most of its space to the figure rather than to the room.
Where it comes from
Matisse worked in sculpture throughout his life, returning to the same few poses for decades and simplifying them each time until the figure became a sequence of volumes. Exhibitions of that work had to translate three dimensions onto paper and the answer was usually a single view, printed large, with the information kept out of the way.
On the wall
It behaves like a photograph rather than a poster, which makes it easy to live with: a study, a hallway or a corner beside a shelf. Because the tonal range is narrow, it needs good light and a wall that is not too dark. In a group it should be the quietest piece.
In company
Pairs well with stone, pale wood and photography and the rest of the Matisse collection shows the same reduction in two dimensions. Avoid hanging it beside strong graphic work, the subtlety would disappear.
