plate no. 9781
La Promenade des Anglais
Henri Matisse, 1917
recreation guide
Henri Matisse’s 1917 work *La Promenade des Anglais* emerges from a pivotal period in the artist’s career, marked by his relocation to Cimiez on the French Riviera. This move initiated a 'relaxation and softening' of his approach, often described as a 'return to order' that contrasted with the wilder Fauvist experiments of the early 1900s (Source 7). While the specific visual details of this particular landscape are not exhaustively described in the provided texts, the work belongs to a genre where Matisse sought to harmonize colors inherent to the natural subject with those chosen for compositional effect (Source 1). The painting likely reflects the artist’s mastery of color contrast, utilizing flat tints and juxtapositions to create a 'true gradation of light' rather than relying on traditional chiaroscuro modeling (Source 1).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
4 items
steps
4 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (primary colors: red, yellow, blue, plus black and white) | To create the flat tints and color contrasts central to Matisse's method | High-quality artist-grade oils (e.g., Cadmium Red/Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White) |
| Canvas or panel | Support for the oil medium | Linen or cotton canvas primed with gesso |
| Brushes (flat and filbert) | For applying flat shapes and controlled lines | Synthetic or natural hair brushes suitable for oil |
| Medium (Linseed oil or similar) | To adjust viscosity and transparency for glazing if employed | Stand oil or walnut oil |
preparation
surface prep
Prepare a neutral ground. While Matisse’s specific ground for this 1917 work is not detailed in the sources, his general practice involved rigorous preparation to support his coloristic experiments. A white or light gray ground is typical for landscapes to enhance the luminosity of the sky and sea, consistent with the 'flat tints' approach described in color theory texts relevant to his era (Source 1).
underdrawing
Matisse is known for his 'fluid and original draughtsmanship' (Source 8). For a landscape from this 'return to order' period, the underdrawing likely emphasizes 'controlled lines' and 'flat shapes' rather than loose sketching (Source 6). Use a thin wash of oil or charcoal to establish the major compositional elements—the promenade, the sea, and the sky—ensuring the boundaries between color fields are clear.
underpainting
The sources do not explicitly describe an underpainting stage for this specific 1917 landscape. However, general oil painting practices of the time, and Matisse’s earlier work, sometimes involved a monochrome preparation (grisaille) to establish values before applying color (Source 2). If employed, this would be a neutral tone to help judge the 'modifications of tone' before introducing the 'flat tints' of the final layer (Source 1). Given the 'softening' of his style in 1917, a direct color application is also plausible.
color palette
Sky Blue / Azure
Ultramarine Blue + White
The sky, likely juxtaposed with warmer tones to create contrast
Sea Green / Teal
Blue + Yellow + White
The Mediterranean sea, reflecting the 'colours determined by the subject' yet adjusted for harmony (Source 1)
Warm Ochre / Sienna
Yellow + Red + Earth tones
The promenade and architectural elements, providing a tonal contrast to the cool sky and sea
White / Off-White
Titanium White
Highlights and architectural details, used to heighten the tone of adjacent darker bands (Source 1)
composition
The composition likely features a wide view of the Promenade des Anglais, a hallmark of landscape painting where the 'main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composition' (Source 3). Matisse’s approach in this period involved 'flattened forms' (Source 8). The arrangement likely prioritizes the juxtaposition of large color fields (sky, sea, land) to exploit the 'law of simultaneous contrast,' where the 'lightest tone will be lowered, and the darkest tone will be heightened' by their neighbors (Source 4). Specific figures or carriages may be present as 'accessories' chosen to harmonize the composition, as the artist has 'a choice of... accessories, which can be placed and imagined according to his judgment' (Source 1).
step by step
underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the major horizontal bands of the composition: sky, sea, and promenade. Use controlled lines to define the boundaries between these flat shapes.
Tip — Ensure the lines are confident and deliberate, reflecting Matisse's 'controlled lines' (Source 6).
Line drawing
first pass
step 02
Apply flat tints of color to the major areas. Do not blend heavily; instead, place colors side-by-side to allow the eye to mix them optically.
Tip — Focus on the 'juxtaposition of colours distinctly separated' to produce a 'true gradation of light' (Source 1).
Flat color application
refining
step 03
Adjust the tones based on simultaneous contrast. If a blue sky appears too dark next to a white building, lighten the blue or darken the white to achieve the desired visual balance.
Tip — Remember that 'the tint of the band of the highest tone is insensibly enfeebled, while... the tint of the band of the lowest tone becomes heightened' (Source 1).
Simultaneous contrast adjustment
finishing
step 04
Add smaller details, such as figures or architectural accents, using colors that harmonize with the inherent nature of the objects but are chosen for their contrastive effect.
Tip — Select the form and color of accessories to 'harmonize those colours of a composition which are essentially inherent to the nature of the objects' (Source 4).
Harmonizing accessories
critical techniques
Simultaneous Contrast
Matisse relied on the principle that adjacent colors affect each other's appearance. By placing flat tints of different tones next to each other, he created a 'true gradation of light' without traditional shading (Source 1).
Flat Color Fields
Instead of modeling form with light and shadow, Matisse used 'flat shapes' and 'controlled lines' to define space, a technique that became more pronounced in his post-1905 work (Source 6).
Color Harmony through Juxtaposition
The artist chose colors not just for local accuracy but for their relational harmony. In landscapes, he could 'substitute for the true colour that of a neighbouring scale' to achieve better compositional balance (Source 1).
common pitfalls
- →Blending colors too much on the canvas, which destroys the 'flat tints' and the optical mixing effect intended by the juxtaposition of distinct colors (Source 1).
- →Ignoring the effect of simultaneous contrast, leading to colors that appear dull or muddy because they have not been adjusted for their neighbors (Source 4).
- →Over-modeling forms with chiaroscuro, which contradicts Matisse's 'flattened forms' and 'relaxation' of approach in this period (Source 7, Source 8).
- →Using colors strictly for local realism rather than for their harmonic and contrastive potential, missing the artist's intent to 'harmonize those colours... inherent to the nature of the object' through choice (Source 1, Source 4).
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·The specific pigments used by Matisse in 1917 are not detailed in the sources.
- ·The exact visual content of *La Promenade des Anglais* (e.g., number of figures, specific architectural details) is not described in the provided texts, so the recreation must rely on general landscape conventions and Matisse's style.
- ·The specific underpainting technique (if any) used for this particular work is not confirmed by the sources.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Understanding the use of flat tints and simultaneous contrast in color application.
- 324. Utility of the Law in order to Harmonize... — applied to Guidance on choosing colors for accessories and backgrounds to harmonize the composition.
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia bio — Henri Matisse↗
- part 6 — applied to Contextualizing the 1917 period as a 'return to order' with a 'relaxation and softening' of style.
- part 3 — applied to Describing the characteristic 'flat shapes and controlled lines' of Matisse's work.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Defining the genre and compositional expectations of landscape art.
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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