Matisse Copy
6x6in oil on canvas board $85.
Detail: Still Life with Oranges ( Nature Morte aux Oranges ou Corbeille d'oranges) 1912
Doing this copy by Matisse - the greatest of all the Fauves - reminded me of what a master he was of pure design. Every area of the painting I made this detail from, is perfect.
Doing the research for this small painting I was interested to learn that when he was hospitalized as a young man, the other occupant in his room was copying etchings in color so Henri asked his mother for colored pencils so he could try his hand at it. He loved it and the rest is history. He started his art career at 20 years of age which was late in comparison to Picasso, (his future rival) who, when at the same age, will have already completed almost a thousand works.
Like Picasso, Matisse was a great experimenter with paint application but he knew early on the basic structure the direction his art would go and wrote: " Everything that is unnecessary in a painting is detrimental to it." He was true to this principle from his first to the last of his works.
Matisse used the flat color technique and would often repaint these areas in another hue. It may look simple but the complexity is profound and I value what I learned during this research.
I looked at this delightful painting and thought that looks very much like what Matisse would have painted. : )
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying your series of painting the masters. I didn't know a lot of the history behind the paintings. So I enjoy that along with the beauty.
ReplyDeleteThank you Azra and Virginia.
ReplyDeleteDelightful. Great choice
ReplyDeleteplease see my take at
http://modernartists.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-matisses-dance-vis-vis.html
There are two more articles on Picasso and Matisse on the blog.
It's funny that my first (ever) watercolor was a copy of Matisse. I remember vividly the bold pure red, yellow and blue fields with thick black lines surrounding each designed shape. It seemed very simple, but so captivating. No two shapes were of similar size or shape. When I talk with my friends who are not artists, they often mention that they like him because of his joyful use of color. As a painter myself I just marvel at his genius in design the canvas space. It's something that appeal to both the heart and the mind, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI'm going backwards through your blog entries -- I know very few people do that because it is so hard to keep up with all the wonderful blogs updates one subscribes already... But your blog is such a wealth of information! I am learning so much looking at the details of each painting, as well as reading your tips and thoughts. Again, thank you very much for sharing.
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It's great piece of art. One thing I am wondering is.. when you paint as a copy of artist's work and sell it, is it ok for copyright issue?
ReplyDelete