In the last years of his life Henri Matisse
developed an unusual technique to give a new twist to his drawings. Prior to
using ink on the white paper, he worked with gouache backgrounds. These were
generally in orange, ochre or yellow. The watercolour was applied using large
brushes with precision to obtain uniform or slightly modulated surfaces. Once
the paint was dry Matisse, using a brush or black pen, would create a masterly
impression with a drawing. These gouache backgrounds were plainly part of the
artists vision in creating a chromatic resonance. Through these he renewed his
relationship with line and space using colour as a living area in which the use
of line is clearly annotated. This technique confers a unique dimension on
these works: The contrast between the luminescence of colour in the field and
the spontaneity of the black linear drawings creates a great intensity; the
colour and the drawing are unified in a perfect match.

In “Henri Matisse: Paper Cut-Outs” , art historian Jack
Cowart notes that Matisse had been utilising the cut-out technique as a design
tool for many years, to plan large scale murals and decorations as well as to
work out compositions before painting them. Studio assistants, such as Lydia
Delectorskaya and Paule Caen-Martin, played important roles in the process. The
present work depicts a portrait of Paul-Caen Martin, who was a studio assistant
from February 1949 to spring 1952