Tête de profil 1936

Here we have a drawing by Henri Matisse, just a few lines dancing on paper, creating a profile. It’s so simple, so direct; Matisse just puts the pen down and lets it flow, like jazz. You can almost feel him thinking through the line, each curve and flick building up this woman’s face, her hair, the frills around her neck. Look at the line quality – it’s not trying to hide anything. You can see where he hesitated, maybe even where the pen skipped a bit. The paper isn’t precious. It’s like he's saying, “This is how it’s done, folks. Just start and see where it takes you.” That wiggly line describing the frills around her neck is gorgeous! It gives the image a sense of movement, a certain lightness. Matisse’s approach reminds me of Picasso, another master of distilling form down to its essence. They both knew how to make a single line do all the work, suggesting volume, emotion, and even a whole world.