The Snail

The Snail
Artist	Henri Matisse
Year	1953
Type	Gouache on paper
Dimensions	287 cm × 288 cm (112+3⁄4° in × 108 in)
Location	Tate Modern, London

The Snail (L'escargot) is a collage by Henri Matisse. The work was created from summer 1952 to early 1953. It is pigmented with gouache on paper, cut and pasted onto a base layer of white paper measuring 9'43⁄4" × 9' 5" (287 × 288 cm). The piece is in the Tate Modern collection in London.^[1]

Description and background

It consists of a number of colored shapes arranged in a spiral pattern, as suggested by the title. Matisse first drew the snail, then used the colored paper to interpret it. The composition pairs complementary colors: Matisse gave the work the alternative title La Composition Chromatique.^[1] From the early-to-mid-1940s Matisse was in increasingly poor health, and was suffering from arthritis. Eventually by 1950 he stopped painting in favor of gouaches découpées, paper cutouts.^[2] The Snail is a major example of this final body of works.

See also

• List of works by Henri Matisse

References

1. Henri Matisse, The Snail 1953, Tate Gallery, retrieved August 5, 2012]
2. "Henri Matisse" Archived 2008-08-04 at the Wayback Machine, Pompidou Centre. Retrieved 25 December 2007.

External links

• from the Tate retrieved December 25, 2007