In a 1956 essay on Matisse's printmaking by William S. Lieberman, reprinted in the catalog that accompanies the BMA show, the author writes that the 1914 portraits "were finished with astonishing speed. ... The drawing is quick and decisive. Like all of Matisse's etchings, each is distinguished by its simplicity. Individual details are reduced to vivid details."
That simplicity and steady refinement of gesture would continue to be trademarks of his printmaking over the years, as Matisse employed a variety of means, including monotypes (drawing on an inked plate, leaving white lines against a black background) and aquatints (a related process). A particularly compelling example of Matisse's aquatints is "Sleeping Man" from 1936, a masterpiece of atmosphere and design.
With a minimum of lines and nuances, Matisse's two portraits from the 1920s of famed pianist Alfred Cortot reveal almost as much of his highly individualistic, super-poetic style as his recordings do. The wide-eyed woman in "The White Fox" (1929) not only captures the physical essence of the model, Lisette, but conjures up a wealth of attitude; the addition of subtle details in the background intensifies the print's power.
The exhibit provides a useful look at the evolution of one of Matisse's two color prints (he also used color in illustrated books), "Marie-Jos? in a Yellow Dress," from 1950. First is the basic print, with only black lines molding the shape of the seated figure next to a table. Next, with red and yellow added. Finally, with two more shades, blue and green, filling out the picture. In the context of this show, it's the black and white print that seems just right.
Matisse's final prints are among the most engaging. They reveal what Fisher describes as "the most simple digesting of what he is drawing," when very thick black lines "vibrate in intensity against the white paper" and bring together everything that had informed the artist's approach to printmaking over his lifetime.
Various portraits of a model named Nadia distill features and characteristics in an extraordinarily compact fashion, without removing the humanity. "Three Heads. To Friendship" (1952) are even more boiled down, almost alien in appearance, but the playful angles communicate strongly to keep the image far from being merely decorative.
Like the other creative outlets he explored, Matisse's printmaking helped to animate 20th-century art in indelible ways. The BMA's new exhibit opens a welcome window into that lively pursuit.
If you go
"Matisse as Printmaker" will be exhibited through Jan. 3 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. Free admission. Call 443-573-1700 or go to artbma.org.
