This image was reproduced from the late work of Henri Matisse, when he was producing compositions using cut painted paper (gouaches découpées) in the 1940s and early 1950s.

The composition consists of repeated, stylised leaf forms arranged vertically. The shapes are flat and unmodelled, defined by their edges and contrasting colour, here using yellow against a dark ground.

Matisse developed this method after 1941 and used it extensively in his later work, including projects such as Jazz (1947). Printed versions of these designs were produced after the original cut-outs, and many examples in circulation are later reproductions rather than lifetime prints.

Colour lithograph on vellum.

Mourlot