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This painting marks a transition from the Impressionist style of Matisse’s early days to his later obsession with "making colors sing, without paying any heed to rules and regulations." The pastel colors -- often depicting the two legs of a woman in different colors -- conjure the mystical feeling of Baudelaire’s poem, from which this title is taken. In itself, the Pointillist style was not successful for Matisse; he found it too logical and did not sincerely feel a part of the work. What he played with in the paint and began to understand, however, was the purity of color. The joy portrayed in this painting through the clean, fresh light helped Matisse discover his artistic strength. In addition, this painting marks the first time Matisse depicted nudes in the sensual and carefree way that characterized many later works of his career. In a sense, this painting represents Matisse’s rite of passage into himself. He moved to Nice soon after completing this work, and he continued to progress in the reflections on color for which he is known.
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