what can we learn from Henri Matisse to improve our own work?

Question

NEEDED FOR ART PROJECT ON MATISSE

Answer 1

Matisse was the leader of the fauvist group of artist, he has many different styles of working. For example he often used complimentary colours when doing the shadows of his subjects, eg the shadows on a red table, would be green. Try looking at his self portrait, the portrait of Andre Derian, and a bit in the Open Window Collioure. He also had an almost Japanese link in some of his paintings- for example 'the red dinning room' the patterns are very similar. This painting is extremely flat, the block colours and the wall and table having the same patterns. the composition is not completely on the canvas, the window particularly allowing life to continue off the painting. His work and other fauvist painters were majorly influenced by Cezanne's later work too. By the end of Matisse's life he could not move much and so simply cut out shapes from paper, for example, Icarus. 1947
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Matisse never taught a lesson but is still the great master. By his work ethic and his prolific output he teaches us all we need to know by example. He was the most disciplined artist of his time. He had 'working hours' when he went to his studio whether he felt like it or not. It was his job and he never showed up late. This is his most important lesson but he also wrote some very informative pieces about art and there is a book called "Matisse on Art" by Jack D. Flam that brings together in one place the major writings of Henri Matisse. Brilliant men like him and Van Gogh should be listened to as well as viewing the art they produced.

Answer 3

COLOUR- He believed that the use of colors was as important as a painting's subject matter to communicate meaning. In his portraits he used all sorts of colours to paint people's faces. You can learn from this that colour can communicate meaning, not just what the painting is about like a shoe or a portrait etc but colour can be used to make up the work of art.

FORM- Things can be expressed very simply. He was influenced by african masks- you may only need a circle for eyes, a triangle for a nose and a line for a mouth to make a face appear. He questioned how we represent and see things.

This is one of his quotes.

"The function of the artist is not to translate an observation but to express the shock of the object on his nature; the shock, with the original reaction."

So we can learn from him that the artist does not have to mimic or copy an object (photos can do this anyway) but to translate and create the feeling the artist has about the object - their reaction.

so perhaps when you paint or do a sketch from now on, you may try and represent it how you feel about it, rather than simply trying to copy it as realistically as possible and use colour more boldly and form more sparingly.

Answer 4

I don't personaly think that an Artist should learn by being too reliant on anothers work.
You might feel more proud by producing your own style and trying to look at things in your own way.
It is possible that not everybody would feel Henri Mattisse is a good source to learn from and they might feel that there are other types of Art that could be produced.
I dont know wether pointing this out though would put you in a good light for your Art project.

Answer 5

There are few things one can learn from this dismal Frenchman.

1. Observe the lazy drawing, completelty insensitive to the subject matter

2. Note the utter banality of his subject matter.

3. Note the unfinished feel of the pictures

4. Note the crude surfaces.

5. Note the reduction of the purposes of art into "decoration" alone.

Answer 6

I am reminded of a quote by an actor in a film starring Clint Eastwood, Pale Rider, i cannot remember the actors name,however what he stated applies to Henri MATTISSE, ,THE Old indian said the secretary of state said, ''we have to endevour to persevere'', that is the one thing Mattisse did apart from producing art that flew in the face of accepted practices of that time, Mattisse believed in himself, he persevered, when his eyesight started to fail he found another way to produce an image, he never gave up the struggle.
getting back to the elements of Mattisses work that you could draw upon to improve your own work , the use of colour to describe, the simplicity of the drawn, the application of the medium. perseverence. LF

Answer 7

Color. Look at the boldness, but perfect balance of his color.

Answer 8

To not care about any criticism...