Femme lisant 1945

Henri Matisse made this drawing, *Femme lisant,* with charcoal on paper. You can see how Matisse is working here, feeling his way around the forms. There’s a real sense of process, the marks laid bare, nothing hidden. The smudgy charcoal gives the whole piece a soft, hazy quality. The woman reading, the foliage outside the window – everything feels a bit dreamlike. Look at the lines that define her figure – they’re not precise, but more like suggestions, allowing her to emerge from the shadows. Notice how the darkness pools around her, especially around her dress, grounding her in the space. The bold outlines are like shorthand, evoking a sense of volume and light. It reminds me of some of Vuillard’s interior scenes, where figures blend into their surroundings. Like Vuillard, Matisse isn’t aiming for a perfect likeness, but something more elusive: a feeling, an atmosphere, a mood.