Olivier bernier matisse collage

Matisse and His Collages

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We celebrate the new opening of Henri Matisse: The Cut Outs by compiling some of the artist's brilliant words of wisdom

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Matisse said that he was never truly expressing himself until he started to work with collages.

His cut-outs comprise some of his most famous work and also represents the artist at his most expressive, despite being restricted by age and movement. To recognise the new exhibition of his later works at the Tate Modern, we dive head first into Matisse’s colourful jungle of a mind to see what the great creative had to say about himself.

Olivier bernier matisse collage These pieces from his eclectic textile collections became more than mere studio backdrops; they infused his artwork with a transcultural dialogue , emblazoning Matisse's canvases with universality and timelessness. Blue Nude IV, the first of the four, took a notebook of studies and two weeks work of cutting and arranging before it satisfied him. Even within the constraints of monochrome, the drawings are anything but monolithic—each bears the hallmark of Matisse's distinctive approach to artistic expression. His collage work unveiled a new medium that allowed him to 'cut directly into color'—a phrase that would capture the essence of his late period.

"Expression, for me, does not reside in passions glowing in a human face or manifested by violent movement. The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share"

2. "In love, the one who runs away is the winner"

"I don't paint things.

Olivier bernier matisse collage prints Though he was known as a draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor, Matisse is most remembered for his paintings. Exploring Baroque Style: A Journey Through Art, Fashion, Philosophy and Influence The baroque period is a fascinating time in history that had a profound impact on various artistic forms, including Navigating away from the strict confines of depth perception, his collage works represent a voyage into the essence of pictorial spaces, leaving behind the optical illusions of three-dimensional perspective that dominated art for centuries. The posture is similar to a number of seated nudes from the first half of the s, and ultimately derives from the reposed figures of La bonheaur de vivre.

I only paint the difference between things"

4. "I am unable to make any distinction between the feeling I get from life and the way I translate that feeling into painting"

"I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish" — Henri Matisse

5. "Seek the strongest color effect possible the content is of no importance"

7. "I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish"

8. "It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else"

9. "There are always flowers for those who want to see them"

"From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life.

I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves"

Henri Matisse: The Cut Outs runs at the Tate Modern until September 7

Text by Rosie Neve

Art & PhotographyIn Pictures