Fauvism: "The Green Line"

 

Henri Matisse, Portrait of Madame Matisse 

(The Green Line) (1905) oil and tempera on 

canvas 15 7/8” x 12 7/8”

·      Henri Matisse was an artist that exhibited many different mediums of artwork over the course of his life. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a little bit about a piece of his art that I find very intriguing and empowering. This particular piece of art is called Portrait of Madame Matisse, also known as, The Green Line. Matisse was an avant-garde artist who questioned academic standards and interpreted things the way he wished. Most all of his artwork was very radically represented. He presented bright and bold colors with Textuality in his art, which expressed his emotion at the time he was painting. In this particular painting Matisse drew attention to the center of his wife, Madame Matisse’s, face. In my opinion, I believe the green line refers to his emotional state as well as his unique style in art – to be different. This is the very first time that the public eye has seen a green line down the middle of any painting, and it marks the beginning of his infamousness. He became somewhat famous and well-known because of this green line. Thus, many other artists began to copy him as a way to say they knew what was going on at the time or they knew “what was in at the time.” The painting not only exhibits a random green line down the center of it, but it also lacks representational color. As we can see her face is not a normal skin-tone shade. The left side of her face, from the viewer’s perspective, is a pale, light green shade with light brush strokes, and the right side of her face appears to have more of a light grey shade. Therefore, we can tell that Matisse was using non-representational color to represent his wife’s face. I think it is an interesting painting, and it really opens your eyes to seeing things differently. There is much more abstraction that begins to outweigh the naturalistic representation of her face, but then again, it is all about Matisse’s emotional state at the moment he painted it.

I have attached a song that I believe relates to this piece because I feel that Matisse was trying to show that she is a true woman. I think he wanted to represent his wife the best he could to say, “She’s mine!” The song I chose is an old 1970’s song called “She’s A Lady” by Tom Jones.

On another note, I have also researched the color green, and according to Kate Smith, CMG, CfYH, the color green can mean or represent numerous things. Smith says that it “ Helps alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxiety,” and it “Offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony.” In this painting I could see where Matisse believed that his wife was a strong woman, and to him, she was a place of comfort and support. In mythology the color green is, “The color of love associated with both Venus, the Roman goddess and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess,” says Smith. As I have said, I believe that Matisse saw his wife as a woman of strength and beauty. It would appear that the green line is representing that strength.

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this painting, and if you have any comments or questions please leave a comment!

-Gallery 9310, The Owner