Rijksmuseum Twenthe - Het kunstmuseum van Enschede

Digital exhibition

Picasso & Matisse. Beauty is a line. Now that visiting a museum is not evident to everyone, we have decided to present the exhibition ‘Picasso & Matisse. Beauty is a line’ online. This way, you can still ‘visit’ the museum. Enjoy!

Picasso & Matisse. Beauty is a line

For centuries, lines have been used to depict a thought or feeling. Whether it is a cave drawing, hieroglyph, written letter or modern painting, the line is a powerful means of communication. Therefore, the line is an important device of the artist. The line, as the outline of a figure or as the cut surface between two colours; the line as an artistic exploration, as a sketch; or the line as a means to create perspective, to suggest depth in a flat painting, which makes the painted look lifelike.


But from the start of the twentieth century the line takes a remarkable leap. All of a sudden, lines start to dangle, meander, and flail. The line no longer serves the composition, but becomes a significant, dominant feature of the artwork and thus demands a domination position.

Important artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, distinguish themselves by portraying reality’s essentiality, instead of actually portraying reality. The line is the ultimate means to achieve this.


The line as the ultimate device

Partly due to the invention of photography, art is no longer engaged in portraying reality as realistically as possible. Modern art is about form, feeling, and expression. The line is the ultimate device to shape this new principle. Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse are the grand masters of the modern line. With their play of lines, they aim to reach the essential.

Fotobijschrift: Henri Matisse, Reclining Nude with Bowl of Fruit, 1926. Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster, on loan from Sparkasse Münsterland Ost.


The line’s visual power

The line is at the basis of art. At least, according to the ancient Greek tale in which Debutades traces the shadow of her parting lover on the wall. When her father, a pottery baker, sees the drawing, he decides to recreate it using clay. As a result, apart from painting, sculpture emerges, too.

Whether it actually happened or not, this story illustrates the line’s visual power. By the simple stroke of the pen, a recognisable face, figure or object is put on paper. The line is capable of separating the essence from an afterthought, until only a shape’s absolute essence remains. Therefore, the line is the modern artist’s ultimate device – an artist who not necessarily is concerned with reality, and instead focuses more on personal expression, aiming for the essence, and experimenting with shape.


Matisse: drawings

The fact that Henri Matisse was a well-read man, who thought extensively about his art and methods, is evident from the several interviews he gave and the essays he wrote. In one essay, for instance, written later in life, in which he elaborates on his drawing. His drawings may be perceived as unfinished to some, Matisse writes. But the opposite is true. His drawings, which only consist of a couple of lines, are preceded by numerous studies and attempts, for only after an elaborate study of his model does Matisse have the confidence to move his pen and pencil freely. When that happens, he creates a drawing in one try; he does not allow himself to make any adjustments after he finishes. If the result is not up to his standards, he starts over.

Picasso once said about Matisse’s approach: ‘Matisse makes a drawing and then copies that drawing. Five times, ten times, and every time his line becomes more refined. His final, cleanest drawing is the absolute best, he claims. But usually the first drawing is the best. When it comes to drawing, nothing beats the first design.’