Blue Nude II

Today is my name day! I know that it doesn't work in all of countries and cultures, but it does in Poland, where I come from. It is a holiday celebrated on a given day by people with the same name, in memory of the saint whose name she or he carries. No matter the saints, it is just a good occasion to celebrate, and to have a -25% promo on all our products in the DailyArt Shop and Courses!

Also, it is a good occasion for me to present some of my favorite artists and masterpieces.  :) Time for Matisse!

Blue Nude II is one of Henri Matisse’s most celebrated paper cut-outs and part of a series of four iconic works. According to legend, Matisse created it with a single, fluid movement of the scissors. The Blue Nude series revisits a seated nude pose that Matisse had long explored in both painting and sculpture. With this series, Matisse sculpted directly in color. The forms seem to erupt into space with bold, unapologetic energy. This radical shift is all the more striking considering Matisse’s earlier teachings. In 1908, he had cautioned his students against disrupting the integrity of the human form, emphasizing that joints—wrists, ankles, elbows, knees—should support the limbs and be integrated carefully into the whole. He warned against “severing” limbs at their articulation or introducing voids that might fracture the composition.

But the Blue Nude II, is precisely about these voids—the spaces between cut-out shapes. They create meaning. The negative space becomes as important as the form itself. Voids articulate volume, define movement, and create a dynamic interplay between figure and space. A bent leg crossing in front of a thigh, for example, gains its dimensionality through these deliberate gaps. Rather than breaking the figure, the separation of parts reveals its depth and rhythm. The cut-outs are made of “pieces,” but they are anything but fragmented. They represent the culmination of Matisse’s lifelong inquiry into how the human form inhabits space—a final evolution of his sculptural thinking.

Have a great day, everyone!

- Zuzanna

P.S. With this painting, I want to announce the introduction of the new set of DailyArt Postcards. :) Be sure to check them out in our online Shop! :) 

P.P.S. Did you know Matisse produced over 200 pieces of this kind? Learn all you need to know about Henri Matisse's cut-outs! For more stories on the artist, see the articles below.