Despite already being a master of color at the time of producing his works from the 1920’s, Henri Matisse never abandoned line drawing; a technique he refined to the point of obtaining the delicate and expressive simplicity found in with Woman with Agenda, which he created when he was already seventy-five years old.

Matisse captured his subject in a dreamy state. She is faced with her open agenda which reads “Notes diverses” [Various notes] and “Janvier” [January]. On the first page there are some written lines and what appear to be calculations. At that very moment, the woman ignores the writing and doodles on a loose sheet of paper. Her hand placed on her head indicating that she is deep in thought while she draws. Perhaps she must resolve a matter which she will later make a note of under the epigraph “January”.

With its surprising simplicity and freshness this drawing exemplifies Matisse’s ability for insinuating a gesture with a single stroke, and the way in which one gesture was enough to portray a mood, questioning the viewer on what the woman might be thinking. Perhaps she is merely reflecting on the fleetingness of time.