Matisse, Henri, Nadia in profile, 1948

Apart from a few trials in 1931 and 1936, Matisse turned to aquatint after the Second World War, starting in 1946. The broad brushstrokes of aquatint are very similar to those of his brush drawings in Indian ink from the same period. In the summer of 1948, he executed some fifteen variations on the face of Nadia Sednaoui, of Egyptian origin. Matisse portrayed her in a variety of ways: smiling, with a serious look, from the front, in profile, three-quarter view, with straight hair, round face, pointed chin, sharp profile, etc. (D.792-797, D.799-800, D.803-810).