“Young Woman at the Window, Sunset,” is an artwork completed in 1921 by Henri Matisse, a seminal figure in the Expressionist movement. This genre painting captures an intimate moment and is part of the collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Matisse employs his distinctive use of color and fluid representation of form to articulate the emotional state and ambiance within the genre scene.
The artwork features a young woman positioned beside an open window, gazing out at the view beyond. Her posture is contemplative, with her hands lightly touching the window frame, suggesting a moment of quiet reflection. The sunset casts a warm glow, infusing the scene with hues of pink and mauve which contrast with the bolder stripes of the woman’s attire. The background scene visible through the window displays a simplified, almost abstract representation of distant trees and buildings, rendered in a manner that prioritizes color and shape over precise detail. The loose brushwork and vibrant color palette are characteristic of Matisse’s oeuvre and signal the emotional resonance intended by the Expressionist style.
