While living in Nice in the 1920s, Matisse formally introduced the theme of the odalisque into his oeuvre. In these works the artist adorned his models in North African or Middle Eastern costumes and surrounded them with vibrantly patterned textiles from the large collection that he had amassed by this time. Following the departure of his longtime model Henriette shortly before this picture was painted, Matisse hired a group of new models, including a pair of sisters, who may be depicted here. The curvilinear yet flat shapes of the women's bodies are set against the dramatic patterns created by the red wallpaper, a chessboard, and the two colorful curtains. This same setting--and even some of the costumes worn by the models--would be utilized in other works of the same year, such as Seated Odalisque (The Baltimore Museum of Art). The odalisque paintings, which combine aesthetic and erotic pleasure into one, are best described in Matisse's own words: "Look closely at the Odalisques: . . . the oriental decor of the interiors, . . . the sensuality of heavy, drowsy bodies. . . . In this atmosphere of languid relaxation . . . there is a great tension brewing, a tension of a specifically pictorial order."¹ Melissa Kerr, from Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Impressionism and Modern Art (2007), p. 142.

Note:
1) As translated in Jack Cowart, Matisse: The Early Years in Nice, 1916-1930 (Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1986), p. 35.