Ambiguous erotic and lesbian content in the painting of Hennri Matisse, 1904-1910

Abstract

This article analyzes ambiguous eroticism and lesbian practices in a group of paintings by Henri Matisse dated between 1904 and 1910. These are paintings aimed at a female audience capable of grasping the true meaning of compositions presented under the guise of another theme. The painter opted for ambiguous forms, which are not generically defined and, in this neutral condition, can be interpreted in different ways, including the possibility of relating them directly to those that explicitly depict the lesbian theme. In other cases, the clarity of the meaning in these other paintings allows us to identify the meaning of the former, in which the message is not so obvious. The painter presented lesbian relationships clearly and as a background or secondary meaning associated with another, more conventional theme, which displaces it and mitigates the social impact that focusing on it directly might have had in this time.