Lena Rivera
Henri Matisse's Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya is an Early Modernist oil painting on canvas from 1947. Lydia Delectorskaya, born in 1910, fled Russia after the 1917 revolution and ended up in Nice, where she found work with Matisse and his wife in 1932. Three years later, Matisse asked her to sit for him, and she became his great muse, model, manager, and companion. Delectorskaya posed for several of Matisse's works, including Pink Nude and a drawing of a nymph being wooed by a satyr. The 1947 portrait is a notable example of Matisse's oeuvre and is known for its bold, simplified shapes and planes of vivid color, exemplifying his signature style, which prioritized the emotional strength and decorative aspects of artistic composition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Henri Matisse |
| Date | 1947 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Style | Expressionism |
| Genre | Portrait |
| Subject | Lydia Delectorskaya |
| Current Location | Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Lydia's Role | Model, studio manager, secretary, companion |
| Colours | Green, orange, blue, yellow, purple |
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What You'll Learn
Lydia Delectorskaya's background
Lydia Delectorskaya was born in 1910 in the Siberian city of Tomsk. She was the only child of a doctor, whom she adored. Delectorskaya became an orphan at 12 when her parents died in successive epidemics of typhus and cholera during the Civil War. She was raised by her aunt, with whom she fled from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Manchuria, China. Delectorskaya ended up in Nice, surviving precariously on her resourcefulness and will.
In 1932, Delectorskaya found temporary work with Henri Matisse and his wife, Amelie, as a studio assistant and domestic help. At the time, she knew little about the world of art and had no knowledge of the painter's prestige. Delectorskaya's work with the Matisses was initially supposed to be a few days long, but it turned into six months. It was not until three years later, when Delectorskaya was 25 and Matisse was 65, that he asked her to sit for him. She became his principal model, muse, and manager. Delectorskaya also took on the duties of studio manager and factotum, coordinating the preparation and installation of the chapel at Vence, just outside Nice.
Delectorskaya's collaboration with Matisse gave her a new sense of power and purpose, and painting became central to her life as it was to his. Matisse drew and painted her numerous times, with their working alliance leading to a crisis in his marriage. Matisse chose his wife when she gave him an ultimatum, but she still left him in 1939. Delectorskaya remained by Matisse's side for the rest of his life, enabling him to produce his final masterpieces despite his failing health.
Delectorskaya died aged 87 in Paris on 16 March 1998. She donated the paintings that Matisse had gifted her to Russia's Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
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Matisse and Delectorskaya's working relationship
Henri Matisse and Lydia Delectorskaya's working relationship began in 1930 when Delectorskaya was hired to care for Matisse's invalid wife, Amélie. Delectorskaya soon became indispensable to Matisse, taking on the roles of studio manager, factotum, and principal model. Matisse and Delectorskaya's working relationship was so close that it caused a rift in Matisse's marriage, with Amélie giving her husband an ultimatum: "It's her or me!".
Delectorskaya's role in Matisse's life and work was transformative. She was his muse, model, manager, and companion, staying by his side for the rest of his life. Delectorskaya's efficiency and organisational skills allowed Matisse to focus on his art, and she became central to his creative process. Matisse made at least 90 paintings of Delectorskaya, capturing her elegance and bold, easy look with confident lines. Delectorskaya also sat for one of Matisse's most famous works, Pink Nude, for which she modelled over a period of six months in 1935.
Matisse and Delectorskaya's collaboration gave Delectorskaya a new sense of power and purpose. She took an interest in his work, and together they pushed the boundaries of his art, shifting from oil paint on canvas to printing and paper. This shift resulted in what Matisse called "a life's work", including the chapel at Vence and the coloured paper cutouts, now considered some of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.
Delectorskaya's influence on Matisse extended beyond the studio as well. She travelled with him through war-torn France and coordinated the four years of preparation and installation that went into the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, just outside Nice. She also recruited female assistants to mix gouache paint and cut the countless sheets of paper required for the project.
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Delectorskaya as Matisse's muse
Lydia Nikolaevna Délectorskaya, born in 1910 in the Siberian city of Tomsk, was a Russian refugee and model best known for her collaboration with Henri Matisse. Delectorskaya was orphaned at 12 and brought up by her aunt. They fled from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Manchuria, China. As a young woman, she moved to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne, but she did not stay long due to high fees. In 1932, Delectorskaya was hired as a temporary studio assistant for Matisse and his wife in Nice, and their collaboration began. Delectorskaya took on the duties of studio manager, factotum, and principal model, and painting became central to her life as it was for Matisse.
Delectorskaya was Matisse's great muse, model, manager, and companion, staying by his side for the rest of his life. Matisse created at least 90 paintings of her, capturing her elegance and bold, easy look with confident lines. He also gave her drawing lessons, and she became his "personal student". Delectorskaya played an active role in promoting Matisse's work, participating in interviews, mounting exhibitions, and helping to set up the Matisse Museum.
As Matisse's secretary, Delectorskaya facilitated the creation of his final masterpieces despite his failing health. She coordinated the preparation and installation of the chapel at Vence, just outside Nice, which featured stained glass windows and coloured paper cutouts. Matisse's works during this period marked a shift from oil paint on canvas to printing and paper, which he considered "a life's work".
Delectorskaya also helped to promote Matisse's work in her native Russia. She contacted the Soviet diplomatic mission in France and sent initial drawings as gifts. She enlisted the support of the Soviet Minister of Culture and established relationships with museum directors. In total, she presented over 300 items to the Hermitage and Pushkin museums in Russia.
Delectorskaya devoted her life to Matisse and played a crucial role in his artistic career. Their collaboration gave her a sense of power and purpose, and she remained by his side until his death in 1954.
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The painting's style and composition
Henri Matisse's "Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya" is an Early Modernist oil painting on canvas, created in 1947. It is currently housed at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The painting is a notable example of Matisse's oeuvre and his mastery of colour and form.
The portrait is characterised by Matisse's signature style, which prioritised the emotional strength and decorative aspects of artistic composition. He employed a unique combination of colours, including greens, yellows, blues, oranges, and purples, to evoke the sitter's features and define her figure against the backdrop. The bold, simplified shapes and planes of vivid colour are characteristic of his later works.
Matisse's use of flattened space and abstracted form is particularly notable in this portrait. The composition captures the elegance and bold, confident look of Delectorskaya with confident, fluid lines. The colours used in the portrait are symbolic of life and energy. Delectorskaya's hair, for example, is bright green, the colour of spring and renewal, and is contrasted with an orange fire of fizzy energy around her.
The portrait is a testament to the collaboration and close working relationship between Matisse and Delectorskaya. Delectorskaya was not only Matisse's muse and model but also his manager, secretary, and companion. She played a crucial role in facilitating the creation of his final masterpieces, including the chapel at Vence and the coloured paper cutouts, despite his failing health. Their collaboration extended beyond the artistic realm, with Delectorskaya taking on organisational and managerial duties in Matisse's studio.
The "Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya" is a testament to Matisse's artistic skill and his ability to capture the essence of his subject. The use of bold colours and simplified forms creates a sense of movement and modernity in the portrait, making it a striking and memorable work of art.
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The painting's current location
The current location of Henri Matisse's 1947 oil on canvas painting, 'Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya', is the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The painting is one of at least 90 that Matisse made of Delectorskaya, in addition to numerous drawings and sketches. Delectorskaya donated the artworks to the museum, providing for her future.
Delectorskaya was born in 1910 and became orphaned after fleeing Russia in the turmoil following the 1917 revolution. In 1932, she found temporary work with the Matisses as a studio assistant and domestic help. Three years later, in 1935, Matisse asked her to sit for him. Delectorskaya modelled for 'Pink Nude', for which Matisse's son Pierre said had renewed his father as a painter. Delectorskaya also posed for a drawing of a nymph being wooed by a satyr. Matisse said he came to know her face and body "like the alphabet".
Delectorskaya's working alliance with Matisse caused a crisis in his marriage to Amélie, who became furious over what she viewed as a betrayal and left her husband in 1939. Delectorskaya returned to help in the studio in Paris and travelled with Matisse through war-torn France. She remained by his side for the rest of his life, becoming his secretary, "Madame Lydia", and helping him produce his final masterpieces, including the chapel at Vence and the coloured paper cutouts.
Delectorskaya died in Paris in 1998, aged 87. Her grave is in the cemetery in Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg.
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Frequently asked questions
Henri Matisse painted the portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya in 1947.
Lydia Delectorskaya was born in 1910 and became an orphan after fleeing Russia during the 1917 revolution. In 1932, she found work as a studio assistant and domestic help for Matisse and his wife. She eventually became Matisse's principal model, studio manager, and secretary.
The portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya is currently at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
