Henri Matisse gravant

This incisive self-portrait is Matisse’s first documented foray into etching. The artist shows himself studying his reflection intently in a mirror while he draws with an etching needle onto a copper plate resting on a drawing board. The pose and composition recall Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait etching at a Window, 1648, and the Dutch Master’s influence is also suggested by the preliminary sketches in the plate at upper left, a device which Rembrandt used on several occasions.

Despite this being his first attempt in the medium, Henri Matisse gravant is remarkable for the confidence of its execution and is an important example of Matisse’s draughtsmanship in the pre-Fauve years.