" The Studio-Quai St.Michel " by Henri Matisse is a very rare painting by the French artist
Matisse incorporates some of his most prevalent themes - the artist's studio, patterns (the floor and the bedspread), the artist and his model, and the open window, through which the Seine and the Pont Saint-Michel are visible. Visually the painting juxtaposes the indoor scene's hard pattern lines and a model's curves with the outdoor geometric buildings and arc of the bridge. Matisse often painted nude figures, and unlike in many of his other paintings, here depicts her facial features, hinting at a more intimate relationship. The easel's half-painted canvas and the artist's empty chair suggest that he has left the room for a brief moment.
