The Romanian Blouse 1940

"The Romanian Blouse" (1940) by Henri Matisse depicts a woman wearing a traditional Romanian blouse. The simplified forms and bold colors characteristic of Matisse's Fauvist style are evident in the artwork. The woman's face and hands are rendered with a directness that emphasizes their expressive qualities, while the intricate embroidery on the blouse is reduced to a series of geometric patterns. This artwork is an example of Matisse's ongoing exploration of color, form, and the expressive potential of the human figure.