Woman before an Aquarium - Henri Matisse

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

"Woman before an Aquarium" by Henri Matisse (1921–23) Oil on canvas.

Commentary

"Woman before an Aquarium" by Henri Matisse (1921–23) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrative alone. Themes to notice include painting. This piece is held in the source collection's Modern Art collection. Henri Matisse is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Henri Matisse French, 1869–1954. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as painting, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Oil on canvas) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (81.2 × 100.2 cm (31 15/16 × 39 7/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include painting. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/27984

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data