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Henri Matisse, French (1869-1954), Woman with Folded Hands, 1918-1919, pen and india ink on white paper, ©Succession H. Matisse, Paris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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Henri Matisse did not plan on being an artist. He began his artistic career while working as a lawyer, by taking an early-morning drawing class. It was not long, however, before he went against his father’s wishes and became a professional artist. Perhaps because of those early classes, drawing always remained important to him.
Matisse’s drawings reflect the different styles and techniques he used over the course of his career. Works like Woman with Folded Hands are quick sketches that capture a moment, a form, or a feeling. Other drawings, such as The Music Lesson, where Matisse was experimenting with pattern, are carefully detailed. Matisse chose to simplify the figures in his drawings. But he could also do very realistic work, as in his lithograph Odalisque with Bowl of Fruit.
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