ALS in French, one page, 8.25 x 10.5, April 2, 1938. In a response regarding the work of an aspiring artist, Matisse writes, translated in full: “I have examined with the greatest attention some reproductions of the works of your daughter and find that they reveal real talent. But it is evident that some work is necessary to develop them. No one has arrived without work. Her great facility should help her. She has a real gift for portrait, and for things dealing with character. Her hands are completely remarkable for someone who has worked so little. This is a good indication that she doesn't want to be guided by a professor. It is up to her to put some order in her brain. I hope, Madame, that my humble appreciation will make her listen to you, and I ask you to accept my respectful homage.” In fine condition, with a central horizontal and vertical mailing fold, and scattered creasing.
In this 1938 letter, Matisse acknowledged a daughter's talent to the mother but understood the daughter's need for self-expression instead of instruction. The gentle and liberal approach with "Madame" he also used with his models, some of whom he took on as students. What happened with the daughter remained unknown. By 1939, Matisse's wife Amélie left, envious of the working relationship between the artist and his latest model, Lydia Delectorskaya. They remained together until he died in 1954.
As his health failed, Matisse's creativity bloomed. In 1938 he experimented with linocuts, a style of relief paint using linoleum as a printing surface and produced over 70 during his last years. Always open to working with different media, he also employed paper cutouts called gouaches découpés as early as the late 1930s. He became as well known for his graphic art as his painting and when he became bedridden, he found the technique liberating. For Matisse, it was another form of expression which he called, "painting with scissors" and it sparked an extraordinary burst of creative expression. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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