Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

When Henri Matisse was asked by the publisher Albert Skira to create twenty-nine images for a limited-edition book of Stéphane Mallarmé's poetry, the idea was "to create an 'equivalent' not only to the typography of the page but to its poetry too." As both poet and artist shared an interest in the expressive possibilities of classical mythology, the match proved ideal.

The subject of the faun and nymph illustrates not only a mythological theme, but also the symbiotic relationship between the artist and his model. Matisse once said that he relied on his model not only for factual information but also as his inspirational muse "to keep me in a state of emotion...For me the model is a springboard--even the model only exists to serve me." Such artistic egocentricity was naturally associated with fauns (or satyrs), consorts of Bacchus known for hedonistic pleasure, unbridled passion, and sexual prowess.