Reclining Nude (Nu couché)

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FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Matisse painted this work in Nice, a city in the South of France that he visited frequently in the 1920s. The canvas is one of several executed at this time of a female nude reclining in front of a patterned folding screen. All are studies in color and composition: the screen serves to flatten and structure the composition, as the vertical panels segment the model's body. The figure cuts a dynamic diagonal across the picture plane, which seems to tilt up and toward the viewer. The vibrant palette of yellow and pink heightens the sensuality of the model's pose.

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