Henri Matisse — Woman with a Mandolin

The woman here is Matisse's daughter Marguerite, painted in an apartment in Nice, in the south of France. Instruments and windows recur throughout Matisse's Nice-period paintings, and both appear here: a mandolin in the room, and an open window revealing the view beyond. The effect is almost like a picture within a picture, drawing the eye outward and making the space feel more expansive, while also giving us a glimpse of Nice's scenery.