The ornamental embroideries of the blouse are actually the main topic here, as the painter showed great interest in all types of fabrics.
Matisse was moved by the graphic beauty of motifs in craftsmanship that he collected.
He conveys his exaltation, smoothing out details, streamlining lines and creating colour blocks, as the stylisation of the oak leaves central ornaments suggests it.
The blouse billows out, becoming pictorial space as much as metaphor.
11 photographs show the various stages of creation for this portrait, gradually erasing the young girl to better emphasise the embroidered blouse. | Source: © Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne
Henri Matisse | Romanian blouse, 1940 | Centre Pompidou - Musée national d'art moderne