''The Snail'' ''(L'escargot)'' is a collage by
Henri Matisse. The work was created from summer 1952 to early 1953. It is pigmented with
gouache on paper, cut and pasted onto a base layer of white paper measuring 9'4" × 9' 5" (287 × 288 cm). The piece is in the
Tate Modern collection in
London.
[Henri Matisse, ''The Snail'' 1953]
Tate Gallery, retrieved August 5, 2012]
Description and background
It consists of a number of colored shapes arranged in a spiral pattern, as suggested by the title. Matisse first drew the snail, then used the colored paper to interpret it. The composition pairs complementary colors: Matisse gave the work the alternative title ''La Composition Chromatique''.
[ From the early-to-mid-1940s Matisse was in increasingly poor health, and was suffering from arthritis. Eventually by 1950 he stopped painting in favor of ''gouaches découpées'', paper cutouts.]["Henri Matisse"]
, Pompidou Centre. Retrieved 25 December 2007. ''The Snail'' is a major example of this final body of works.
References
External links
from the Tate retrieved December 25, 2007
1953 paintings
Paintings by Henri Matisse
Collection of the Tate galleries
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