Heriodade (Woman in a Shrub)

Henri Matisse 1869 - 1954

Summary

This print, which is executed in line only, shows a woman lying in the grass. She is represented in quite a stylised manner with crisp, precise outlines; her body stretches diagonally across the length of the composition, her buttocks in the top left hand corner and her folded arms to the right in the foreground. She is nude, lying on her stomach with her arms folded to support her as she raises her head up. In front of her there is some water in which she can see her reflection. Other than the water the background is detailed with the suggestion of foliage through the blades of long grass that are represented and which surround the female figure. This print was among a group Matisse made to accompany a new edition of the poetry of Stephane Mallarme in 1932, the title is that of the poem which the print illustrates.