Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse Limited Edition 888 Fountain Pen

Great artists throughout history have expressed the human experience in a universal language of form and beauty. The Montblanc Masters of Art Collection honors their eternal contribution to the quest for perfection in art – a quest Montblanc both celebrates and participates in. Henri Matisse is a pivotal figure in the art world of the 20th century, whose revolutionary handling of artistic media helped set the tone for modern art. Acknowledging with respect the pioneering achievement of this distinguished and fascinating French artist, Montblanc has created the Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse Limited Edition 888. Growing up in Bohain in northern France, then a prosperous centre of the textile industry, Matisse was fascinated by fabrics from a young age and transformed his studio into a treasure trove of textiles. Initially he used textiles purely as backgrounds element in his compositions, these fabrics became central to his artistic exploration, influencing his focus on decorative patterns and harmonious colours, exemplified by his iconic painting La Blouse Roumaine which is the main inspiration for the Limited Edition 888. While the structure of cap and upper part of the barrel is inspired by the canvas's surface, the slightly shiny red and blue lacquer represents the main colours of this artwork. The decorative elements on barrel and cone trace back to the traditional blouse captured in the painting. Beyond his vibrant canvases and captivating sculptures, Henri Matisse's pencil drawings were fundamental to his artistic process, serving as a direct and intimate means to explore form, distill emotion, and perfect the pure, expressive line that defines his iconic aesthetic. Among these was his late drawing, Large Face (Mask) from 1952 which fine image is embossed on the handcrafted solid Au 750 gold nib. The generously rounded, almost sculptural shape of the cap is a nod to the pronounced curves of many of Matisse's sculptures, reflecting his combination of techniques and different means of expression. Black onyx not only features at the base of the cone, but also surrounds the mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem in the cap top, framed by a solid Au 750 gold ring. The unusual organic shape of the black lacquered clip, is inspired by the multi-coloured arrangement of leaf-like shapes in Matisse's cut-out, The Sheaf.