Collections: European Art: Crossroads at Malabai (Carrefour de Malabai)

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This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.

Crossroads at Malabai (Carrefour de Malabai)

In a departure from the vivid hues of his sun-drenched scenes, Matisse focuses here on the muted earth tones of a light-dappled forest. He renders the angled trees in long brushstrokes in a range of browns, allowing the substantial trunks to taper and dematerialize in lightly sketched, ghostly passages at the top. By contrast, the painter creates a hint of sky by daubing a thick, lightly blended mix of blue and white over the branches and foliage. While using a vertically oriented canvas, Matisse provides a sense of spatial recession with a path punctuated by pools of light.


• Artist: Henri Matisse, French, 1869-1954
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Place Made: France
• Dates: ca. 1916
• Dimensions: 24 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (61.3 x 38.4 cm) Frame: 31 x 22 in. (78.7 x 55.9 cm)
• Signature: Signed lower left: "Henri Matisse"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Beaux-Arts Court, South, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 67.24.16
• Credit Line: Bequest of Laura L. Barnes
• Image: Overall, 67.24.16.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). Crossroads at Malabai (Carrefour de Malabai), ca. 1916. Oil on canvas, 24 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (61.3 x 38.4 cm) Frame: 31 x 22 in. (78.7 x 55.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Laura L. Barnes, 67.24.16 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 67.24.16.jpg)