Alvin Langdon Coburn (British, 1882-1966). Henri Matisse painting Bathers by a River, May 13, 1913. Photograph. Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, 1979:3924:0012.

This highly focused exhibition takes a look at one of the “most innovative, momentous and little studied periods in the long career of Matisse.” It begins when he left Morocco and returned to Paris in 1913 and ends when he left Paris for Nice in 1917. The works from these years are extremely reworked –abstraction reigns and darker colors begin to invade Matisse’s palette. Visible scrapes and incisions can be seem on some canvases.

Bathers with a Turtle, 1908, courtesy The St. Louis Art Museum

The first gallery looks at figurative works leading up to 1913. In 1907-1909 one can see the influence of Cezanne in Matisse’s figures. On view is the work Three Bathers by Cezanne which Matisse actually owned for himself. In the 1907-8 work, Bathers with a Turtle, you can see the evidence that Matisse was reworking his canvases.

Due to the negative reaction his works received in the 1910 Salon d; Automne, Matisse began to withdraw from the Paris art world where Cubism was taking hold. He traveled to Spain and texture, pattern, and architecture found their way into his works. He also traveled to Morocco and flat color is often juxtaposed with patterns in works from this period.

Jeanette I-V, bronze

Matisse often revisited the same subject matter and motifs in his work, especially in his sculptures. One example of this is Jeannette I-V. He reduced his carving and made more angular forms with fewer details as the series progressed.

Interior with Goldfish, 1914. Oil on canvas, 147 x 97 cm, Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre de Création Industrielle, Centre Pompidou, Paris, bequest of Baroness Eva Gourgaud, 1965, AM 4311 P. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Matisse’s interest in color waned upon his return from Morocco and his interest in formal structure of the composition grew. I love the beautiful work Interior with Goldfish from 1914. It shows the interior of his studio and it is clear in looking closely at this work that he revised the placement of objects a number of times. There are pink undertones that peek through, even the orange goldfish have blue-green sneaking out from behind them.

Portrait of Sarah Stein, 1916, Oil on canvas, Courtesy of SFMoMA

Due to his renewed inclusion in the art world, Matisse began making portraits of his friends, colleagues, and family members. There is a section devoted to these works in the show. Portrait of Sarah Stein from 1916 is on loan from SF MoMA’s permanent collection. The drawing next to the work allows the viewer to glean his process. The work shows just the sitter’s head. It is so simplified. One black line makes up her nose and two crescents of brown stand in as hair. The work is very abstracted and minimal.

Bowl of Oranges, 1916, oil on canvas

In 1914 during the outbreak of WWI Matisse returned to the familiar subject matter of still lifes and portraits. But by 1916 Matisse had loosened his approach and showed repeated workings, scraping, and impasto. A perfect example of this is Bowl of Oranges from 1916 which looks almost van Gogh like in texture in some parts of the canvas. He also used “pure black as a color of light and not as a color of darkness.”

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). The Moroccans, 1915-16. Oil on canvas, 181.3 x 279.4 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Marx, 1955. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The Moroccans dominates the second to last gallery. The three zones of the canvas are given to figures, architecture, and melons. Black is the predominant color. This work is the perfect example of his experimentation and ambitious work from this period–a departure from previous subject matter and palette.

Bather by a River, 1909-1916, oil on canvas, 259.7 x 389.9 cm, courtesy Art Institute of Chicago

In the final gallery one finds The Piano Lesson and Bathers by a River. Both are large canvases that confine forms to abstracted, geometric structures. Matisse worked on Bathers for seven years, tweaking and altering the composition until it met his satisfaction.

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). The Piano Lesson, 1916. Oil on canvas, 245.1 x 212.7 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund, 1946. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

In this time of cutbacks and lack of blockbuster exhibitions, MoMA does it right. They focus in on one aspect of a master’s career and enlighten their audience. A very good exhibition worth visiting.