Matisse in Black and White

In addition to being one of the most successful painters of the 20th century, Henri Matisse was also a prolific though lesser-known printmaker. The Baltimore Museum of Art is exhibiting 170 works from the French artist that shed light on his style and themes, and a traveling show is also making the rounds. Matisse used the prints to study the female figure and to develop his signature flat, open shapes, which more often made their way to his painted canvases. Many of the pieces are on display for the first time, cumulating in a rare retrospective of the artist's career. Matisse also explored lithography and monotype, and the exhibit is a "reminder that black shapes, far from representing chromatic absence, can be as powerful as any color in the rainbow."