Who painted Woman with a hat?

Woman with a hat was painted by Henri Matisse in 1905.

Where can I see Woman with a hat?

Woman with a hat is held by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

What movement is Woman with a hat?

Woman with a hat is associated with Fauvism.

Artwork

Woman with a hat

Henri Matisse , 1905

Woman with a hat is an oil painting by the Fauvist artist Henri Matisse. It dates from 1905 and is held in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

About this work

Overview

Henri Matisse’s 1905 oil on canvas titled Woman with a Hat portrays a seated female figure in a strikingly colorful composition. The work measures roughly 100 × 80 cm and is dominated by vivid, non‑naturalistic hues that contrast a soft peach‑toned backdrop. The painting’s bold palette and loose handling of form mark a decisive move away from Matisse’s earlier Divisionist approach.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter is Amélie Matisse, the artist’s wife, rendered with a direct gaze that engages the viewer. She wears a large dark‑blue hat embellished with flowers and a light‑blue feather, a white high‑necked blouse, and a dark‑green jacket. A matching green fan rests in her right hand, while her left hand rests calmly on her lap, suggesting a poised yet informal presence.

Technique & Style

Matisse employs rapid, expressive brushstrokes that leave edges soft and seemingly unfinished, emphasizing color over detail.

Matisse employs rapid, expressive brushstrokes that leave edges soft and seemingly unfinished, emphasizing color over detail. The palette features saturated blues, greens, and reds set against a muted background, illustrating the Fauvist preference for emotional resonance through chromatic intensity. The handling of the face and hat demonstrates a departure from precise modeling toward a more spontaneous, painterly gesture.

History & Provenance

Created in 1905, the canvas was shown at the Salon d’Automne that autumn, alongside works by André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and other artists later identified as Fauves. The painting quickly attracted critical attention, becoming a focal point of the controversy that defined the exhibition and solidified Matisse’s reputation within the emerging movement.

Context

Critic Louis Vauxcelles famously described the Salon d’Automne display as “Donatello among the wild beasts,” juxtaposing a Renaissance sculpture with the vivid, untamed canvases of the Fauves. Woman with a Hat exemplified this clash, its daring color scheme and liberated brushwork challenging conventional expectations of representation in early twentieth‑century French art.

Artist & collection

Artist

Henri Matisse

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (French:; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship.