Dix Danseuses I 1925 - 1926

Henri Matisse made this drawing of a dancer, sometime in the first half of the twentieth century, using graphite on paper. The hatching is what grabs me, those quick, scribbled lines that build up the form. It's like he's thinking through the shape, not just copying what he sees. Look how the weight of the dancer is conveyed with the darker, denser marks describing the form of her body. The shadows cast by the folds of her tutu are like dark scribbles on the page. You can almost feel the texture of the paper beneath. The marks are lighter towards the edges, giving the figure a sense of airiness. Matisse wasn't interested in perfection. He was more interested in capturing a feeling, a fleeting moment. You can see how Matisse took inspiration from artists like Degas, who also loved to draw dancers. But Matisse brings his own energy, his own way of seeing the world, to the conversation. And that's what makes his work so special.