Visage de femme by Henri Matisse Size:L - 70 x 100.0cm It is painting at its

It is painting at its most immediate: emotional

confident colour

Hasui's controlled gradation of tone across sky and river surface is at its most precise here

and warm undertones — evokes the quiet authority of nineteenth-century botanical studies

and reflected light

Visage de femme by Henri Matisse Size:L - 70 x 100.0cm It is painting at its'Visage de femme' ('Face of a Woman') exemplifies the distillation of portraiture that Matisse pursued throughout his later graphic work. With a minimum of line, the face is described rather than depicted eyes, nose, and lips reduced to a handful of marks that nonetheless convey a complete and recognisable presence. The approach owes something to classical drawing and something to the sign like economy of non Western traditions, resulting in a work