During the winter of 1916-1917, Matisse introduces the technique of mise en abyme, a painting within a painting. In an initial canvas, Lorette, the model, appears sensual and serene in a green dress. Matisse then takes up the same composition but places her facing him (a representation of the artist) on a pink armchair, sharply backlit by the black background of the studio, thereby providing an exact replica of the portrait-in-progress on the easel. Through this complex system, Matisse investigates the notion of pictoriality and also questions the relationship between the painter, his subject, and the painting. Subjectivity is further called into question as the viewer (you) will recognize the shift in subject in the works’ titles from object to subject, from model to painter.