Object number2022.16.1
Vase with Flowers and a Plate of Oysters
Date1940
Artist
Henri Matisse
(French, 1869-1954)
CultureFrench
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm)
Framed: 27 1/8 x 31 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (68.9 x 80 x 6.4 cm)
Framed: 27 1/8 x 31 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (68.9 x 80 x 6.4 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Mary Pick Hines, class of 1953
On View
On viewPeriod20th c
Classification(s)
Terms
SignedSigned upper left corner: Henri Matisse
InscribedBy artist, upper left corner: 12/40
ProvenanceMary Pick Hines (class of 1953), by descentFrances W. Pick (class of 1927) ca. 1975
Acquavella Galleries, Inc., New York
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
Label TextSince the early 20th century, French painter Henri Matisse has been acknowledged as a central figure in modern Western art, particularly renowned for his experimentations with pure color. He created this work while living in Nice in December 1940, in the wake of the German invasion of France and at a time of many personal challenges. Despite great uncertainty he continued to paint, focusing on some of his best-known themes such as still-lifes of objects gathered in his studio. In this vivid depiction of flowers, lemons, and oysters, Matisse draws attention to the tangible world and evokes the immediacy of the senses, including taste and touch. Highlighting the sinuous curves and outlines of the objects on the table, he placed them against a highly saturated red background that might seem to propel them assertively toward the viewer. Matisse experimented with variations on the still-life with oysters theme in several paintings around the same period.
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