Black Eyes (Les yeux noirs)
1913
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1948.11.140
Art Historical Context
Henri Matisse's *Black Eyes (Les yeux)*, created in 1913, is a striking lithograph that captures the artist's mastery of bold form and expressive line during his post-Fauvist phase. As a leader of the Fauvism earlier in his career, Matisse had by this time into a master of simplified shapes and vibrant energy, often exploring portraiture and human emotion. This print, housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection (Department CG-W), exemplifies his shift toward more abstracted representations, where the titular "black eyes" likely serve as a dramatic focal point, evoking intensit...
About the Artist
Henri Matisse · 1869–1954
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a French painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and the greatest colorist of his era. Born in Le Cateau-Cambresis in northern France, Matisse initially studied law before discovering his passion for art during a period of convalescence at age 20. He became the leading figure of F...