Henri Matisse, a titan of modern art, embarked on a significant artistic endeavor in 1909. He accepted a commission from Sergei Shchukin, a prominent Russian collector, to create three large-scale canvases for his Moscow mansion. While the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) proudly displays Dance I, it’s essential to understand that Matisse viewed this vibrant oil painting as a preparatory study, a stepping stone to his ultimate vision. Comparing Dance I with the final version of The Dance reveals a fascinating evolution in Matisse’s artistic thought process.
In Dance I, Matisse captures a sense of uninhibited joy reminiscent of his earlier Fauvist period, particularly the masterpiece Bonheur de Vivre. The figures are rendered with loose, flowing lines, lacking detailed interior definition. Their forms are often likened to beanbag dolls, embodying unrestricted and spontaneous movement. This seemingly childlike simplicity, however, is deceptive. Matisse meticulously crafted this appearance of effortlessness. Imagine, for a moment, if Matisse had chosen to depict these dancers with the rigid formality of Jacques Louis David. Would the feeling of pure joy and playful abandon be conveyed as effectively? Matisse masterfully deconstructs traditional representational techniques to create a harmonious unity between form and content in his Dance Matisse artwork.
The dancers in Dance I inhabit a space defined by a vivid blue and green. The green is often interpreted as a grassy hilltop, prompting the question: what does the blue represent? While many might instinctively identify the blue as the sky above, others perceive it as water receding into the distance. This spatial ambiguity is intentional. Matisse, even in this seemingly simple depiction, delves into a central theme of modern painting: the tension between creating the illusion of depth and acknowledging the inherent flatness of the canvas. Another notable element is the break in the circle of dancers. The separation of hands between the two figures in the foreground is deliberately positioned over the knee, maintaining color continuity. This gap is often interpreted as either creating a sense of unresolved tension or inviting the viewer to join the dance, bridging the space between the artwork and the observer in this captivating dance Matisse composition.
The final rendition of The Dance, completed in 1910, evokes a dramatically different emotional response. It’s been described as imposing, threatening, primal, ritualistic, even demonic. The initial joy of Dance I is replaced by an almost palpable sense of rhythmic intensity, akin to the beat of drums. This profound shift in mood is achieved through several artistic choices. Beyond the obvious change in color palette, the figures in the 1910 canvas are delineated with more internal lines, lines that convey tension and raw physical power, particularly evident in the back left figure. A more subtle yet impactful change occurs at the point where the back figures meet the ground. In Dance I, the green field extends to the dancers’ feet, creating a sense of lightness. In The Dance, the green appears compressed beneath their weight, imbuing the scene with a sense of groundedness and power. These subtle yet deliberate artistic choices reveal that Matisse’s seemingly childlike style is a product of profound artistic understanding and intention. He was not merely drawing like a child; he was a master orchestrating every element to achieve a specific emotional and visual impact in his iconic dance Matisse paintings.
