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| The Snail | |
| Artist: | Henri Matisse |
| Year: | 1953 |
| Type: | Gouache on paper |
| Height Metric: | 287 |
| Width Metric: | 288 |
| Height Imperial: | ° |
| Width Imperial: | 108 |
| Metric Unit: | cm |
| Imperial Unit: | in |
| Museum: | Tate Modern |
| City: | London |
The Snail (L'escargot) is a collage by Henri Matisse. The work was created from summer 1952 to early 1953. It is pigmented with gouache on paper, cut and pasted onto a base layer of white paper measuring 9'4" × 9' 5" (287 × 288 cm). The piece is in the Tate Modern collection in London.[1]
It consists of a number of colored shapes arranged in a spiral pattern, as suggested by the title. Matisse first drew the snail, then used the colored paper to interpret it. The composition pairs complementary colors: Matisse gave the work the alternative title La Composition Chromatique.[1] From the early-to-mid-1940s Matisse was in increasingly poor health, and was suffering from arthritis. Eventually by 1950 he stopped painting in favor of gouaches découpées, paper cutouts.[2] The Snail is a major example of this final body of works.