Henriette as an Odalisque 1922

Henriette as an Odalisque was made by Henri Matisse, and it's just lines on paper. It's a drawing, but it feels like so much more. I’m interested in the hatching technique, look how he uses these tiny, dense clusters of lines to build up tone and volume. It's almost sculptural, like he’s carving the form out of the blank page. It makes you think about what a drawing can be, what the simplest marks can do. I'm thinking of Degas, how he’s just using pastels to create these whole worlds, these moments that feel so alive and present. Matisse is doing something similar here, taking a simple medium and pushing it to its limits. It makes you realize that art isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about asking the right questions and staying open to the possibilities.