Henri Matisse: The early years in Nice, 1916-1930 by Jack Cowart (1986-05-03)

Given the current Chicago exhibition examining Matisse's output between 1913-17 I thought it would be worth looking at this catalogue that documents his artistic output in Nice from 1916-30. This is a catalog of an exhibition held in the National Gallery Washington in 1986. Matisse lived in various Nice hotels (the Mediterranee was a favorite) and apartments during this period. In 1930 he left on his yearlong journey to the United states and Tahiti. In 1931 he began work on the great Barnes "La Danse". The introductory essay talks of the influence of the local geography and light of Nice as well as the conceptual closeness to North Africa. There are useful articles about his Nice period and concerning collectors of his works during the 1920's. There are 171 generously sized and well reproduced illustrations of the paintings featured in this exhibition. These are mainly female portraits, often featuring the artist's favored internal view looking out through a window or door. There are a series of attractive Odalisque paintings executed in the mid twenties. Additionally there a number of still lifes and landscapes to be seen. Typically for Matisse creations of this period, the works are very colorful and easy on the eye. This catalogue gives a well illustrated coverage of Matisse's output during his earlier years in Nice.