plate no. 9035

Seated Riffian

Henri Matisse, 1913

oil, canvasExpressionismportraitfigureportraitclothinginteriorseatedbackground

recreation guide

Henri Matisse’s 'Seated Riffian' (1913) represents a transitional phase in the artist’s career, moving away from the high-key Fauvism of 1905–1908 toward a more structured, yet still expressive, modernism. While the specific visual details of this 1913 portrait are not described in the provided sources, the work falls within the period where Matisse was refining his use of color as an expressive tool rather than a descriptive one. The painting likely employs the 'wild, often dissonant colours' and 'flat shapes' characteristic of his earlier Fauvist period, but with the increasing structural rigor that defined his post-1910 work. The artist’s approach treats the medium not as a vehicle for illusionistic deception, but as a means to express feeling through 'painted symbols' that remain true to the emotional idea of the work (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 (high chroma)	To achieve the 'vitality' and 'brilliancy' required for expressive color juxtaposition.	High-quality artist-grade oils (e.g., Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre)
Canvas	Support for the oil medium.	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Brushes	For applying flat shapes and controlled lines.	Flat and filbert brushes of various sizes
Solvent/Medium	For thinning paint or glazing if employed.	Odorless mineral spirits or linseed oil

preparation

surface prep

Standard oil painting preparation. Matisse’s practice emphasizes the importance of the medium’s capacity; the surface should be prepared to accept bold, flat applications of color without excessive texturing that might distract from the color relationships (Source 1).

underdrawing

Matisse’s work from this period is characterized by 'controlled lines' and 'flat shapes' (Source 2). The underdrawing should be confident and decisive, establishing the structural boundaries of the figure and background without excessive modeling. The artist likely used a light sketch to define the composition before applying color.

underpainting

While Source 5 discusses glazing and scumbling over a grisaille, this technique is noted as being practiced by 'old masters' and potentially viewed with prejudice by modern painters like Matisse. Matisse’s Fauvist and post-Fauvist work typically relied on direct application of opaque or semi-opaque color to achieve intensity, rather than complex glazing layers. Therefore, an underpainting is likely not required for this specific style, which favors direct color juxtaposition.

color palette

Vibrant Reds/Oranges

Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange

Likely used for clothing or background elements to create contrast. Matisse used 'bright and expressive colour' without regard for natural hues (Source 2).

Deep Blues/Ultramarines

Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue

Used to complement red/orange tones, increasing their brilliancy through juxtaposition (Source 3, Source 4).

Yellows

Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre

General use in Matisse’s palette for light and warmth, often juxtaposed with purples or blues.

Greens

Viridian, Sap Green

Complementary to reds, used to soften or intensify adjacent red tones depending on placement (Source 3).

composition

The composition likely features 'flat shapes' and 'controlled lines' (Source 2). Matisse’s approach during this period involved simplifying forms to emphasize color relationships. The figure is likely positioned to allow for strong color contrasts between the subject and the background, utilizing the principle that 'an orange drapery can be rendered yet more orange surrounded by blue tones' (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the seated figure and background with light, confident lines. Focus on the overall structure rather than fine details.
Tip — Ensure lines are 'controlled' to support the flat shapes characteristic of Matisse’s style (Source 2).
Contour drawing

first pass

step 02
Apply broad areas of color, focusing on the main shapes. Use pure, bright colors without excessive mixing to maintain chroma.
Tip — Avoid 'meretricious attempt to deceive the eye' with illusionistic modeling; keep the paint visible as 'painted symbols' (Source 1).
Direct painting

refining

step 03
Juxtapose complementary colors to enhance intensity. For example, place blue tones next to orange/red areas to make them appear more vibrant.
Tip — Use the principle that 'red beside blue verges on orange' to adjust hues optically rather than by mixing (Source 3).
Simultaneous contrast

finishing

step 04
Refine edges and adjust color balances. Ensure that the emotional idea of the work is expressed through the color relationships, not realistic detail.
Tip — Check if any color is 'too pronounced' and soften it by surrounding it with similar tones, or intensify it with complements (Source 3).
Color balancing

critical techniques

Complementary Color Juxtaposition

Matisse used complementary colors to increase brilliancy and express emotion. Placing red next to green or blue next to orange enhances the visual impact without mixing (Source 3, Source 4).

Flat Shapes and Controlled Lines

Characteristic of Matisse’s Fauvist and post-Fauvist work, this technique simplifies forms to emphasize color and composition over realistic modeling (Source 2).

Expressive Color

Using 'wild, often dissonant colours' without regard for natural hues to convey emotion (Source 2).

common pitfalls

→Attempting to create illusionistic depth or realistic texture, which contradicts Matisse’s goal of expressing feeling through 'painted symbols' (Source 1).
→Over-mixing colors, which reduces chroma and dulls the expressive power of the palette (Source 8).
→Ignoring the optical effects of complementary colors, leading to less vibrant juxtapositions (Source 3).

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.

·Specific visual details of 'Seated Riffian' (e.g., exact clothing patterns, background elements) are not described in the sources.
·Matisse’s specific brushwork techniques for this 1913 work are not detailed; general Fauvist/post-Fauvist practices are inferred.
·The exact pigment palette used by Matisse for this specific painting is not provided.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Overview, stepByStepProcess (avoiding illusionism), criticalTechniques
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to colorPalette, stepByStepProcess, criticalTechniques
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to underpainting (exclusion of glazing)

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Henri Matisse↗
- part 3 — applied to Overview, colorPalette, compositionNotes, criticalTechniques
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 1 — applied to colorPalette, criticalTechniques
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to commonPitfalls (over-mixing)