Henri Matisse
, French, 1869-1954
Title
Danseuse Reflétée dans la GlaceDate1927
MediumLithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 32 x 40 cm
Image: 29 x 37 cm
Credit LinePresented, Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, 1938
Object numberNGI.20839
DescriptionIn 1920, Matisse provided the production designs for Serge Diaghilev’s ballet Le Chant du Rossignol, based on Stravinksy’s opera Le Rossignol (The Nightingale). Interpreting the orientalist theme of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, Matisse created refined costumes and scenery based on traditional Ming court dress, in colour arrangements derived from Chinese ceramics and lacquer screens. In 1927, influenced by his collaboration with the Ballets Russes, Matisse produced a series of lithographs of ballet dancers, issued in a portfolio Dix Danseuses. In these lithographs, Matisse chose to show his ballerinas standing, sitting or reclining, rather than dancing or rehearsing.