The Back

In 1908 Henri Matisse began work on a sculpture of a womans back on a monumental scale. The artist returned to the subject over a period of several years gradually refining, stylising and deconstructing the form. Although not originally intended as a series each new piece was begun using a plaster cast of the previous work. Over a 20 year period a set of four bronze bas reliefs were produced with each figure becoming increasingly abstracted. In the final sculpture completed in the 1930s the sinuous curved spine of the original appears to have evolved into a solid mass of braided hair.