Blue Villa
Artist: Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)
Date: 1918
Medium: Oil on academy board
Collection: Barnes Foundation Art Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Description
During his early Nice period, Matisse renewed his interest in landscapes. With their small formats and naturalistic effects of light and shadow, these works reflect the influence on impressionism on the artist. Matisse likely painted this view of la villa bleue on Mont Boron, where he moved after his living quarters were twice requisitioned for the housing of soldiers during World War I. The artist later recalled that these landscapes, which he typically completed in two or three sittings, helped to occupy him while he was waiting for news from the front, where his son Jean was serving in the French army.
