Christa Reuter Riegen’s interpretation of Henri Matisse’s “The Green Line” (La Raie Verte) also known as Madame Matisse, illustrates Riegen’s ability to capture the fundamental elements of the original painting. She celebrates the iconic painting, making it her own; it is not a duplicate, it is a refreshing portrait of Matisse’s wife. Madame Matisse Acrylic on Canvas 20 X 24" - Framed: 25 X 29" Signed Upper Right: Christa Riegen Dated: 3/2002 At the time of the painting, 1905, Matisse was part of a small modern movement called the les fauves (the wild beasts). The name came from their sheer strident use of color and wild brushstrokes. Matisse’s work would have been rejected by the major salons in Paris with this portrait. He creates no personification of female beauty in his wife’s portrait, it is a highly simplified painting. He uses a green line down the center of her forehead, continuing down her face and then on to her neckline. The green line represents a shadow upon h