Pasiphaé, Chant de Minos. Text by Henri de Montherlant. 121, [1], [6] pp. Illustrated with 147 linoleum-engravings by Matisse, including 50 printed in black (of which 18 are full-page), 84 initial letters and repeated head-pieces printed in red, front and back covers printed in blue and white. 4to., 330 x 250 mm, loose in original illustrated wrappers within the publisher’s slipcase and chemise. Paris: Martin Fabiani, 1944.
For Pasiphaé, as with many of Matisse's books, the artist was responsible not only for the illustrations but also for the book's overall design. Here Matisse combined black, white, and vivid red colours to create one of the most appealing artists' books of the twentieth century. All of the original linoleum plates for Pasiphaé were destroyed after the printing.
"A contemporary retelling of the story of Pasiphaé and the Minoan bull was the impetus for one of Matisse's most intensive printmaking experiences. Working with linoleum, a fairly easy material to use, Matisse cut many blocks of each image to achieve the perfect flow of line and relationship of forms. Intent on matching the spirit and ambience of the classic tale, Matisse took as his model ancient Greek blackground vase painting" (Riva Castleman).
This was a war-time book for Matisse, who worked on creating the 147 images for Montherlant's text during much of 1941-1944. Unlike his earlier refined Poésies de Stéphane Mallarmé (1932) with etchings or his explosive pochoir-coloured cut-outs for Jazz (1947- although Matisse was working on the cut-outs for Jazz as early as 1943), Matisse's Pasiphaé brings the Greek story to life through rough, clear linocuts. "It combines the arabesque character of his drawing with the effect of physical volume, producing pictures of individual poetry and vitality. In my view this concept of cutting as gesture, the calculation of reliefs it involved and the mastery of light values prove Matisse to be a graphic artist, sculptor and painter in equal measure" (Margret Stuffmann, "Jazz: Rhythm and Meaning," in Henri Matisse. Drawing with Scissors, Masterpieces from the Late Years, p. 29).
One of 200 copies on velin d'Arches filigrané paper, from a total edition of 250. Signed by Matisse on the justification page. A fine copy of a rare book.
Claude Duthuit, Henri Matisse, Catalogue raisonné des ouvrages illustrés 10. The Artist and the Book 198. From Manet to Hockney 112. A Century of Artists Books 113. Johnson, Artists' Books in the Modern Era 1870-2000, No. 102. Rauch, Les Peintres et le livre 1867-1957, 169. Bidwell, Graphic Passion, No. 21.
