I Stand Astounded

Matisse "Portrait of Baudelaire" Etching 1932-34 MoMA
Matisse “Portrait of Baudelaire” Etching 1932-34 MoMA

Fred Lipp wanted me to look at this etching by Matisse, a drawing really, and now I want to look at it, over and over. It’s a portrait of Baudelaire and, wow, does it look simple. Except that every line is absolutely perfect. None of the lines touch each other and they are all pretty much the same weight. They float in space while decribing physical form with supremely confident expression. There is so much volume in here and not one false move. You want to take each lines’ journey.

2 Comments

2 Replies to “I Stand Astounded”

  1. Wow, you’re not kidding on that one. You really need to look at the whole thing. For me the mastery is the capture of the personality. It’s all there.

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