Henri Matisse didn’t need the revolutionary gesture, he believed in Art for Art’s sake.
Matisse lived through a century of tumultuous change, but none of it had any affect on his work. Unlike Picasso, who compared himself to matadors and Minotaurs, and sought public and political endorsement, Matisse believed in the bourgeois values he had inherited from his childhood, in his hometown of Le Cateau-Cambrésis, and believed Art was best appreciated by the middle class.
Matisse was right. His once shocking painting “La Danse”, or his series of gouaches “Blue Nude”, or his collage “Jazz”, now decorate the walls, place mats, and drinks coasters of many a middle class home. His art is valued and loved. While revolutionary works by Picasso, like “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” or “Guernica” are sold at museums as postcards, rather than prints for the dining room wall.
Matisse believed Art should be “soothing”
“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”
This is not to say Matisse was safe. His paintings were and are still revolutionary in their design, approach and use of color. Moreover, in his final years Matisse produced some of his greatest work - dazzling collages made from cut-out colored paper.
“With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.”
This work has shaped much of our aesthetics - from color schemes, to fabrics, to design.
In this documentary, art critic Alastair Sooke examines Matisse’s life, art and influence on our world. It is followed by a short French documentary (this version in German) made in 1946 by Francois Campaux, which shows Matisse at work in his studio - alas in black & white, with no proper subtitles.
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