1935, Henri Matisse, Papeete - Tahiti (Window in Tahiti; Tahiti I) -- Philadelphia Museum of Art (special exhibition)
From the exhibition label: In his volume of poems by Stéphane Mallarmé, Matisse had paired the image of a boat in the harbor of Papeete with "The Windows," a poem about escape to a land of ideal beauty. Here Matisse scaled it up as a cartoon (or full-scale sketch for a tapestry) nearly eight feet tall with an added internal decorative border of tropical gardenia blossoms. Concerned that the weavers were unable to transcribe his cartoon's light brushwork and variety of tones, Matisse made a second version, using gouache (opaque watercolor) for a matte effect ostensibly more suited to the tapestry-making process. However, while he continued to be intrigued by the tapestry format, Matisse had already put an end to his collaboration with the entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli. Only a weaving based on the first cartoon was ever produced.
1935, Henri Matisse, Papeete - Tahiti (Window in Tahiti; Tahiti I) -- Philadelphia Museum of Art (special exhibition)
From the exhibition label: In his volume of poems by Stéphane Mallarmé, Matisse had paired the image of a boat in the harbor of Papeete with "The Windows," a poem about escape to a land of ideal beauty. Here Matisse scaled it up as a cartoon (or full-scale sketch for a tapestry) nearly eight feet tall with an added internal decorative border of tropical gardenia blossoms. Concerned that the weavers were unable to transcribe his cartoon's light brushwork and variety of tones, Matisse made a second version, using gouache (opaque watercolor) for a matte effect ostensibly more suited to the tapestry-making process. However, while he continued to be intrigued by the tapestry format, Matisse had already put an end to his collaboration with the entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli. Only a weaving based on the first cartoon was ever produced.