Henri MatisseFrankreich, 1869–1954Bathers by a River
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Bathers by a River (French: Les Demoiselles à la rivière), also known as Bathers at the River and occasionally referred to as simply Bathers, is a large 1917 oil-on-canvas painting by French artist Henri Matisse. Matisse began painting the canvas in 1909 and finished the painting in the fall of 1917, making it one of three pictures he painted (along with Piano Lesson and The Moroccans) during the Battle of Verdun.
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Henri Matisse considered Bathers by a River to be one of the five most “pivotal” works of his career, and with good reason: it facilitated the evolution of the artist’s style over the course of nearly a decade. Originally, the work was related to a 1909 commission by the Russian collector Sergei Shchukin, who wanted two large canvases to decorate the staircase of his Moscow home. Matisse proposed three pastoral images, though Shchukin decided to purchase only two works, Dance II and Music (both State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg).
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Four years later, Matisse returned to this canvas, the rejected third image, altering the idyllic scene and changing the pastel palette to reflect his new interest in Cubism. He reordered the composition, making the figures more columnar, with faceless, ovoid heads. Over the next years, Matisse transformed the background into four vertical bands and turned the formerly blue river into a thick black vertical band. With its restricted palette and severely abstracted forms, Bathers by a River is far removed from Dance II and Music, which convey a graceful lyricism. The sobriety and hint of danger in Bathers by a River may in part reflect the artist’s concerns during the terrible, war-torn period during which he completed it.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
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- 1953.158
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Derweil im Leben von Henri Matisse
Das ganze Leben1908
Shchukin's Commission for "Dance" and "Music"
The Russian collector Sergei Shchukin commissioned three decorative panels from Matisse for his Moscow house: "Dance," "Music," and "Bathing" (which remained at the sketch stage). The money of Russian collectors allowed the artist to finally overcome his financial difficulties.
25 December 1908
"Notes of a Painter"
"Notes of a Painter" was published in La Grande Revue, in which Matisse formulated his artistic principles — the need to convey emotion directly through simple means.
1908
Opening of the Académie Matisse
With the support of the Steins, Hans Purrmann, and other patrons, Matisse founded a private, non-commercial painting school, where he taught from January 1908 to 1911. About 100 students studied at the academy during that time.
1911
Visit to Russia
In connection with the installation of the panels, Matisse visited Saint Petersburg and Moscow at Shchukin's invitation and was given an enthusiastic reception. The artist admired ancient Russian icons: "Now that is great art."
1912
First Exhibition in the United States
Matisse's first American exhibition was held in New York, organized by Alfred Stieglitz at Gallery 291.
1912–1913
Seven Months in Morocco
Matisse spent about seven months in Morocco, producing roughly 24 paintings and numerous drawings. His Orientalist motifs — odalisques and goldfish in aquariums — date from this period.
