plate no. 8012

The girl with green eyes

Henri Matisse, 1908

oilExpressionismportraitportraitfigurehatclothingstill lifewoman

recreation guide

Henri Matisse’s 1908 portrait *The Girl with Green Eyes* emerges from the tail end of his Fauvist period, a movement characterized by 'wild, often dissonant colours' and a disregard for naturalistic representation in favor of emotional expression (Source 2). By 1908, Matisse was transitioning toward a 'rigorous style that emphasized flattened forms and decorative pattern,' moving away from the pure pointillism of his earlier neo-Impressionist phase (Source 3). This work likely exhibits the 'non-naturalistic, even garish, colors for skin tones' that defined his powerful portraits of this era, prioritizing color juxtaposition over realistic modeling (Source 4). The painting reflects Matisse’s mastery of 'expressive language of colour and drawing,' where the likeness is achieved not through photographic detail but through the structural integrity of color and line (Source 3).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Raw Umber, White, and vibrant primary/secondary hues)	Raw umber and white are explicitly recommended for setting the palette in life studies; vibrant hues are essential for Matisse's Fauvist colorism.	Titanium White, Raw Umber, Cadmium Red/Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Viridian Green
Turpentine	Used to thin the initial layers of paint, as advised in traditional oil painting practice for life studies.	Odorless mineral spirits or Gamsol
Charcoal	For the initial drawing and shading stage, allowing for easy correction before paint is applied.	Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal
Canvas or prepared panel	Support for the oil painting.	Linen canvas with acrylic gesso
Hand-mirror	To compare the drawing with the sitter from a distance, ensuring accurate scale and proportion.	Standard hand mirror

preparation

surface prep

While specific preparation for this 1908 canvas is not detailed in the sources, Matisse’s transition to 'flattened forms' suggests a smooth surface to allow for controlled lines and flat shapes (Source 2). Traditional oil painting practice of the era involved priming with a ground that allowed for the 'dry brush' modeling technique mentioned in Source 1, though Matisse’s later work often utilized more direct application.

underdrawing

Begin with a charcoal drawing. Source 1 advises to 'Draw and then shade in charcoal, and use a dry brush to model with.' It is critical to 'make all corrections while you can in the charcoal stage' because charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and none to bread, whereas correcting errors in paint is 'fatal to lucidity' (Source 1). Matisse’s 'fluid and original draughtsmanship' implies that the line work should be confident and expressive rather than tentative (Source 3).

underpainting

Set the palette with raw umber and the softer white, using turpentine to thin the paint (Source 1). The goal is not to complete the study in one sitting but to paint with the idea of going over it 'at least three or four times' (Source 1). This layer establishes the tonal values and composition before the intense colorism is applied.

color palette

Raw Umber

Pure pigment

Setting the initial palette and establishing shadows/structure in the underpainting stage (Source 1).

White

Pure pigment (likely Lead White historically, Titanium White modern)

Lightening tones and mixing with raw umber for the initial study (Source 1).

Vibrant Greens

Viridian or mixed green hues

The eyes, as indicated by the title. Matisse used 'bright and expressive colour' and 'non-naturalistic' tones to convey emotion rather than realism (Source 2, Source 4).

Dissonant/Complementary Colors

Reds, Oranges, Blues juxtaposed

Skin tones and background. Matisse’s Fauvist style involved 'wild, often dissonant colours, without regard for the subject's natural colours' (Source 2). Use complementary colors to neutralize or darken hues without shifting hue undesirably (Source 5).

composition

Matisse characteristically placed his figures in 'fully realised interiors' and emphasized 'flattened forms and decorative pattern' during this period (Source 3, Source 8). The composition likely avoids deep, realistic perspective in favor of a decorative arrangement of color planes. The focus is on the 'expressive language of colour' rather than strict anatomical realism (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the portrait in charcoal, making the study slightly smaller than life. Hold your brush against the model’s face to ascertain length and proportions.
Tip — Place the drawing alongside the sitter, on a level with the face, and use a hand-mirror to compare the drawing with nature from a distance to check scale and accuracy (Source 1).
Life study measurement
step 02
Shade in the charcoal and use a dry brush to model the forms lightly. Correct all construction errors now.
Tip — Do not put down paint with obvious errors in construction, as correcting in paint is fatal to lucidity (Source 1).
Charcoal correction

underpainting

step 03
Mix raw umber and white with turpentine. Apply a thin initial layer to establish the basic forms and values.
Tip — Plan to go over the painting at least three or four times; do not attempt to finish in one session (Source 1).
Imprimatura/Underpainting

first pass

step 04
Apply color with an emphasis on flat shapes and controlled lines, characteristic of Matisse’s post-1905 style.
Tip — Use non-naturalistic colors for skin tones to express emotion rather than mimic reality (Source 4).
Fauvist color application

refining

step 05
Refine the color juxtapositions. Ensure that the 'green eyes' stand out through contrast with surrounding tones.
Tip — Be aware that viewing one color for a long time affects the perception of the next; use complementary colors to adjust hues without darkening them undesirably (Source 5, Source 7).
Simultaneous contrast

finishing

step 06
Finalize the decorative patterns and flattened forms, ensuring the overall composition harmonizes through color rather than realistic shading.
Tip — Matisse’s style emphasizes 'flattened forms and decorative pattern' over traditional modeling (Source 3).
Decorative simplification

critical techniques

Non-naturalistic Colorism

Matisse used 'wild, often dissonant colours' and 'non-naturalistic, even garish, colors for skin tones' to express emotion and structure, rather than to replicate visual reality (Source 2, Source 4).

Flattened Forms

By 1908, Matisse developed a 'rigorous style that emphasized flattened forms and decorative pattern,' moving away from the illusionistic depth of earlier traditions (Source 3).

Color Contrast and Mixing

Use complementary colors to neutralize or darken hues without shifting the hue toward greenish or bluish tones, which can happen when adding black (Source 5).

common pitfalls

→Attempting to correct drawing errors with paint, which leads to a loss of lucidity (Source 1).
→Using black to darken colors, which can cause undesirable hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting toward green) (Source 5).
→Relying on naturalistic skin tones, which contradicts Matisse’s Fauvist approach of using expressive, non-naturalistic color (Source 2, Source 4).
→Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, where adjacent colors alter the perception of each other (Source 7).

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 details of the girl’s clothing, jewelry, or background objects are not described in the sources, so these must be inferred from general Matisse interiors or left to the artist’s discretion based on the 'decorative pattern' style.
·The exact pigment mix for the 'green eyes' is not specified, though Viridian or mixed greens are suggested by the title and Matisse’s palette.
·The specific lighting conditions of the 1908 session are not recorded, though Source 1 advises on general lighting for life studies.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting — PAINTING FROM LIFE↗
- General Technique — applied to Underdrawing, correction methods, and initial palette setup (Source 1).
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous Contrast — applied to Understanding how adjacent colors affect perception (Source 7).

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia bio — Henri Matisse — part 2↗
- Fauvism and Style — applied to Color theory, non-naturalistic hues, and flat shapes (Source 2).
Wikipedia bio — Henri Matisse — part 1↗
- Biography and Style Evolution — applied to Transition to flattened forms and decorative patterns (Source 3).
Wikipedia: Portrait painting — Portrait painting — part 17↗
- Matisse's Portraiture — applied to Use of garish/non-naturalistic skin tones (Source 4).
Wikipedia: Color theory — Color theory — part 6↗
- Mixing Pigments — applied to Avoiding black for darkening and using complements (Source 5).