“Matisse’s bold deformation of the human figure, his coarse lines, his liberation of color, and his highly insistent accentuation of the painterly marked a clear break with the expectations of art prevalent at the time,” says the National Gallery of Denmark, which is showing an exhibition that explores the manner in which the master developed his ideas from canvas to canvas. “Yet while his shocked contemporaries viewed these features as horrendously barbaric, Matisse himself had no desire for conflict and provocation. Rather, the paintings – with their sense of harmony and optimistic color schemes – were intended to offer a moment of pleasure, independent from the toils and tragedies of everyday life.

“Presenting 53 paintings, 15 drawings, and 22 photographs – many of them major masterpieces – “Matisse: Doubles and Variations” provides an overview of Matisse’s life’s work from the very beginnings of his career to the end. However, this exhibition differs from standard Matisse retrospectives by virtue of its insistent focus on the artistic process itself; here, Matisse’s method of exploration comes under close scrutiny. Special attention is directed towards how the artist would repeat the same motif in series and pairs while systematically varying the colors and modes of expression. The exhibition juxtaposes a wide range of these interrelated works, several of which have rarely been shown together since they left the artist’s studio.”

“Matisse: Doubles and Variations” runs through October 28 at the National Gallery of Denmark, Sølvgade 48-50, Copenhagen, +45 3374-8494, www.smk.dk. It travels to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it opens on December 3.

Franklin Einspruch is the art critic for The New York Sun. He blogs at Artblog.net.