Young Girl on a Balcony over the Ocean (Jeune fille au balcon sur la mer)

April 1918

Oil on canvas (later mounted to fiberboard)

40.7 × 32.7 cm (16 × 12.9 in)

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In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia — check current display status with the museum.

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Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

This canvas's small size, the overall confidence in handling, and the lack of reworking suggest that it was painted in a single sitting. The seated model is presented in three-quarter profile and looks in the direction of the viewer. The railing behind her acts as a barrier, enclosing her in the constricted space of the balcony, and although she is outside, the street seems far below and the sea calm and otherworldly. This kind of restricted space and the psychological exchange between model and artist that it prompts would become one of Matisse's favorite themes during his initial years in Nice.

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