Portrait de Micheline 1939

Here we have Henri Matisse’s Portrait de Micheline, made with pencil sometime in his career. The beauty of this portrait lies in its simplicity, and the artmaking process is plain to see. Take a look at the evenness of the pencil lines used to define the composition. There’s an economy of means in the way that Matisse has described his subject, with a consistent pressure applied to the pencil to evoke form through line. And while the marks are even, they are by no means uniform. Look closely and you can see tiny breaks in the line, where Matisse lifted his hand and changed direction. See how the lines are looser at the shoulders, and then tighter and more controlled when mapping out the face. It reminds me of some of Picasso's drawings, but with a softer, more generous touch. Both artists understood the power of suggestion, inviting viewers to complete the image in their own minds. Like all great portraits, this one leaves room for interpretation, allowing us to project our own emotions and experiences onto the subject.