Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - La Danse

THE LITHOGRAPHY IS PROPOSED WITHOUT A FRAME: THE FIRST IMAGE IS JUST A CONCEPT OF FRAMING. WOULD YOU LIKE TO OWN A Icon of MODERN ART, "La Danse" by Henri Matisse, painted in 1908, a commission from the important avant-garde collector, the Russian Sergueï Chtchoukine, who wished to decorate the grand staircase of his home (hence the monumental format of the work, which measures 2.60 m by 3.91 m)? The painter was at the apex of his Fauve period! (see the last photo) Thirty years later, in 1938, Matisse produced a work in gouache, watercolor, Chinese ink and crayon on the same theme, from which a lithograph was produced the same year. Henri MATISSE (1869-1954) FAUVISM Original color double-page lithograph Title: LA DANSE Excerpt from VERVE - Revue Artistique et Littéraire, vol.1 no.4 (November 1938) Year: 1938 Dimensions: 35.5 cm x 52 cm (double page) Exceptional condition (rare to find in such freshness) Produced by Matisse for the Verve edition of November 1938 and printed by Mourlot, under Matisse’s direction. La danse is one of Matisse’s most famous subjects. Matisse had made earlier compositions on the same theme as paintings (the painting "La Danse" by Henri Matisse dating from 1910) before it was executed as a lithograph for Verve; The lithograph can be considered a new version because it differs from the earlier paintings. This original color lithograph in double page format depicts a circle of five nude women dancing (probably inspired by a group of fishermen dancing the "sardana", in a circle on a Catalan beach), painted in a vivid red in a very simplified green landscape with a deep blue sky. The work reflects Matisse’s growing fascination with primitive art and a spirit of happiness and freedom. The original painting was created by Henri Matisse in 1910, at the request of the Russian businessman and art collector Sergueï Chtchoukine, who bequeathed the great decorative panel to the Hermitage Museum. Published in Paris for Verve, and printed by Mourlot Frères. A bright copy with the usual central fold. Two linoleum cuts by Matisse are printed on the reverse. The painter’s palette is reduced to only three colors (green, suggesting the pines of the south, blue recalling the Mediterranean sky and finally vermilion). Matisse is primarily interested in movement. The figures are irresistibly swept up in the whirl of the dance."