I'll give away the end before I even begin: I didn't finish the book. *gasp*
But we still had a great conversation about Matisse on Art during yesterday's Book Club. It's a fascinating read and one that I know I'm going to finish and then keep coming back to again and again. Check it out for yourself in this replay video:
I have had a long love affair with Matisse. In 2011 I visited the Art Institute of Chicago and wrote about Matisse: "Matisse always reminds me that it takes so few lines to communicate." My feelings haven't changed.
One of my favorite Matisse paintings:
And my "copy" in my art journal from a few years ago:
After reading Matisse on Art I now understand all the things I got wrong when I made this copy. Now I have a greater understanding of Matisse's philosophy about creating art. I'm excited to give it a try again with some of these new ideas rattling around in my head.
(You might also like THIS blog post with lots of photos from the "Matisse in the Studio" exhibit at the MFA.)
There are so many Matisse-isms that I agree with. One of them that seems very relevant at the moment since I'm currently teaching a sketchbook class is:
"Drawing is for me the art of being able to express myself with line. When an artist or student draws a nude figure with painstaking care, the result is drawing, and not emotion….[An artist] should not copy the walls, or objects on a table, but he should, above all, express a vision of color, the harmony of which corresponds to his feeling." – Henri Matisse
I think what he's really saying is: You're not a camera.
Finally: A reminder that Book Club is FREE and open to all. You don't need to have read the book to participate, but it sure is more fun for me if you come to chat! The next Book Club will be on Wednesday, September 15 at 8pm EST. We will be discussing Watercolor is for Everyone by Kateri Ewing. If you click through THIS LINK you can set a reminder for yourself. I hope to see you there!
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I ordered this book from my library. Still have to watch your book club video, I will soon. Thanks, you sure pique my interest.
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I love book club! How about using Corita Kent’s Learning by Heart? Lots of good ideas in that one!
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.
I haven’t finished the book either, yet – there is SOO much in here that I think can be relevant at all stages of art and life. The concept of the relationship between/among resonates with me. You mentioned boot camp, and it seems to me that’s the key, and really what its was about. How to think about art – yours and others. How to evaluate the relationships of line, shape, etc within the concepts of variety, balance, proportion, etc. The juxtapositions in our art and our lives.