The artwork “Double Portrait of Marguerite on Green Background” was created by Henri Matisse in 1919, a notable artist associated with the Post-Impressionism movement. This work is a portrait, a genre Matisse frequently explored, showcasing his unique approach to form and color that was characteristic of his contributions to this art historical period.
The artwork reveals two depictions of Margerite, Matisse’s daughter, set against a vibrant green background. Both portraits are presented side-by-side, offering two different perspectives of the same subject. The left depiction captures Marguerite’s gaze directed towards the viewer, with her features rendered in soft, rounded contours and her attire marked by a pink hue with a distinctive black collar. The right depiction portrays her in a more neutral, detached pose, with a slightly more defined treatment of her features and a white dress adorned with a pattern of leaves or petals.
In both portraits, the brushwork is bold and expressive, indicative of Matisse’s departure from strict realism. The faces are composed with a limited palette, focusing on the contrast between the skin tones and the dark accents of the eyes, hair, and clothing. There is a rhythmical quality to the application of paint that imbues the composition with a sense of movement, despite the stillness of the subject matter. Matisse’s treatment of the green background unifies the two portraits, enveloping the figures in a common atmospheric space, allowing them though distinct, to resonate with each other harmoniously within the canvas.
