The artwork, “Woman in Green with a Carnation,” is a creation of the renowned artist Henri Matisse, completed in the year 1909. Emblematic of the Expressionism movement, the piece is a portrait genre painting with dimensions of 65 x 54 cm. The artwork is presently housed at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
In the artwork, the viewer encounters a figure of a woman portrayed with bold, simplified forms and expressive lines typical of Matisse’s style during this period. The use of green in the background and the attire of the woman provides a rich, monochromatic setting that contrasts with the warmer tones of her skin and the bright pop of red from the carnation. The subject’s face is presented with a sense of calm and poise, with her gaze slightly averted from the viewer, evoking a sense of introspection. Matisse’s emphasis on the decorative aspects and the flatness of the composition aligns with the Expressionist focus on conveying emotion and subjective experience over realistic depiction.
