Henri Matisse is generally considered one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, and a leading figure in modern art.
He made prints throughout his career, starting working in lithography in 1906, and returning to it again and again. 1922 - 25 was a particularly productive period, with Matisse creating fifty lithographs, mainly of women and decorative patterns.
Artistically, Matisse viewed printmaking as an extension of drawing, and thus a direct expression of the artist's thoughts. Formally, it was an opportunity to re-focus on line and composition.
The painterly qualities of lithography particularly suited Matisse's technique, and his interest in rich detail and texture. In fact, Matisse preferred a version of lithography called transfer lithography where instead of drawing directly onto the stone, the artist was able to utilise transfer-paper, drawing directly onto the paper, the image was then transferred onto the stone and printed. This meant the image was not reversed and often the grain of paper was captured within the image.
