Matisse-MSAA.Pdf

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation: Henri Matisse

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation: Henri Matisse © 2017 Alisha Gratehouse. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Notice: This curriculum may not be reproduced, displayed, modified, stored or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without prior written consent of the author. One copy of this curriculum may be printed for your own personal use. Most images in this lesson are from Wikimedia Commons and are public domain. Fair Use Notice: This curriculum may also contain copyrighted images, the use of which is not always specifically authorized by the copyright owner. However, for the purpose of art appreciation and enrichment, we are making such material available. We believe this constitutes “fair use” of any such copyrighted material for research and educational purposes as provided for in sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. §107. No copyright infringement is intended.

FIGURE 1 - MUSÉE DU LOUVRE, PARIS, FRANCE

“We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at a single picture.” – Charlotte Mason

“Being an ‘agent of civilization’ is one of the many roles ascribed to teachers. If we are to have any expectations of producing a well-educated, well-prepared generation of deep-thinking, resourceful leaders, then it is essential to give students an opportunity to review, respond to, and ultimately revere the power of the human imagination—past and present. There may be no better way to promote this than to study, understand, and exult in masterpieces.” – Joseph Matthew Piro

Table of Contents

About Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation ...... 5 How to Use This Curriculum ...... 7 Observation & Evaluation Questions ...... 11 Henri Matisse Biography ...... 13 Fauvism ...... 17 Fun Facts About Henri Matisse ...... 20 Henri Matisse Quotes for Copywork ...... 21 Masterpiece #1: Woman with a Hat ...... 24 Woman with a Hat Enrichment Activity ...... 29 Masterpiece #2: Goldfish ...... 32 Goldfish Enrichment Activity ...... 39 Masterpiece #3: Sorrows of the King ...... 42 Sorrows of the King Enrichment Activity ...... 46 Art Terms to Remember ...... 48

Recommended for Further Study ...... 50

About Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation

Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation is an “open-up & go” art enrichment curriculum created with the busy mom in mind. Although the lessons coordinate with my online art courses, you do not need to purchase the art course to get a well-rounded knowledge of: • the master artist • several of the artist’s famous works • his or her artistic techniques • the art movement in which he or she created

However, if you’d like to delve even further, the art lessons will be the “icing on the artsy cake” and will help your kids and teens form an invaluable relationship with the artist, as well as giving them a deeper understanding of the methods they used.¹

This eBook will be all you need for this study because I include: • internet links to virtual museums, galleries and artwork • internet links to other helpful websites† • printable templates (which can also be used as coloring sheets for younger students) • additional enrichment materials • recommended books for further study† • recommended videos/movies for further study†

†Please Note: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or webpages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.

My desire for this art appreciation curriculum is threefold: • to ignite a love, even passion, for the old masters and their works • to encourage kids and teens to actively engage in the art process and have FUN doing so • to inspire them to utilize and further develop their own God-given creativity

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¹ If you are interested in purchasing the art lessons to coordinate with this art appreciation curriculum, click here. The lessons allow your student(s) to go much deeper than your typical artist study. Students will create three unique works of art per artist that will help them explore their creative talents.

How to Use This Curriculum

These lessons are written for elementary through middle school students, although they can be adapted for younger children and even teens. (See below.)

Use these lessons as: • a stand-alone art appreciation curriculum – great for morning time / morning basket or afternoon teatime! • a supplement to your family’s Charlotte Mason art and artist study • a “no mess” art course – simply use the templates as coloring pages for preschoolers and kindergarteners to “create” alongside older siblings (older students can use templates to transfer patterns for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels or colored pencils) • part of a unit study • part of your history studies • as an accompaniment to Mixing with the Masters art course

General Art Appreciation Tips & Suggestions:

When studying an artist, it is important to look at several of their works in order to define his or her particular “style.” Each volume of the Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation studies three different works of the artist with internet links to even more of his or her pieces.

Feel free to print out a copy of each work of art (included) and place it inside a page protector in a three-ring binder. This will become your “Art Appreciation” notebook. Various notebooking pages are also provided throughout each volume.

Let your student observe each work of art without you saying much (if anything). This allows the art to speak on its own. Simply encourage them to look closely and observe each piece. Does the work have a story to tell? You can encourage them to describe what they see, what they like or dislike. For a more in-depth study, please see below.

Move as slowly or as quickly as you feel is necessary for your student to form a connection with each artist and his or her work. This curriculum is yours to adapt and adjust as you see fit. Adjust it to your education style. Modify it to your student’s specific needs or tastes. Make it fun!

The most important thing isn’t to learn dull, dry facts about art and artists, but rather to instill and cultivate a love of beauty while helping to develop your student’s ability to “see.”

If you want to study one artist over the course of a few weeks, there is plenty more information under the “Recommended for Further Study” links at the end of the lessons.

As you study more and more artists and their bodies of work, it is important to allow your student(s) to compare and contrast their styles and pieces. What are their similarities? What are their differences?

This will ensure a “review” of each artist and their works, and will help your student form relationships with each one while providing a more comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of art.

Additionally, find ways to expose them to the great art masterpieces on a regular basis whether it’s via coffee table books, wall calendars, posters or prints. If possible, visit local art museums, and at the very least, visit the official websites of famous art museums (several museum links are included at the end of lessons). Our goal is simply to ignite a love for beautiful art in each student, and that will happen over the process of time.

Adapting for Different Ages:

The Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation curriculum is geared towards upper elementary and middle school students. But is easily adapted for all students. Below are a few suggestions:

Preschool/Early Elementary

• When studying the artist’s works, simply let them observe the painting (you can tell them the name of the piece and the artist who painted it if you wish) and have them tell you what they see, what they like or dislike. • Encourage them to create their own version of the piece (drawing, coloring, finger-painting, watercolor, etc.). • Print out an art template (included) and let them color it while their older siblings are learning.

Upper Elementary/Middle School

• Have them read an age-appropriate biography of the artist’s life. • Encourage them to study each piece included in this volume, learning its name, the period in which it was painted, the mediums and techniques with which it was painted, etc. • Print out copies of each piece, any notebooking pages (and fill in), any other relevant information to their study and place it in their “Art Appreciation” binder. • Have them answer a few of the “Observation & Evaluation Questions” (pp. 11-12) about each piece. • Print out the art template (included) and color in with pastels or colored pencils or use template to transfer a pattern to a canvas to paint. • For students who would like more in-depth art lessons, purchase the corresponding Mixing with the Masters art course.

Older Teens/High School

• Assign an age-appropriate biography for them to read about the artist. • Have them research each work of art to find out more interesting facts about it. • Encourage them to compare and contrast the artist’s various other works, as well as comparing and contrasting them with the works of other artists. • Let them create their own “Art Appreciation” notebook, decorating and “curating” it as they desire.

• Have them answer several of the “Observation & Evaluation Questions” (pp. 11-12) about each piece. • Print out the art template (included) and color in with pastels or colored pencils or use template to transfer a pattern to a canvas to paint. • For students who would like more in-depth art lessons, purchase the corresponding Mixing with the Masters art course.

A Note about Viewing Art Pieces Online I have endeavored to link artwork from the museums in which they are housed or Wikimedia Commons, which only uses public domain works when possible. Whenever you click on a hyperlink within this curriculum and are taken to the artwork, remember to hover the cursor over the painting. If the cursor shows a plus symbol (+) on it, click again and the painting will be magnified so that you can view it in greater detail.

A Note about Pronunciations After testing several different websites and videos for native pronunciation of proper nouns, I decided to go with “Google Translate.” This site is streamlined and easy to use, and doesn’t have unwanted pop-ups. Additionally, the pronunciations are made by native speakers from the countries of origin. Whenever you see (pronunciation) after a name or place throughout this curriculum, simply click on the hyperlink and it will open up to Google Translate. Then click the “Listen” icon in the lower left hand corner of the left box to hear the correct pronunciation.

A Note about the Lives of Artists It bears repeating: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or webpages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.

Observation & Evaluation Questions

Teaching your child or teen to “see” sometimes requires a bit of prompting and/ or probing. Use this list of questions if you want to take each lesson even further. (Pick and choose a few questions. Don’t feel compelled to inundate your kids with the entire list.) If you are utilizing this curriculum with multiple students, these questions will help create some rich discussions of art.

Observe: 1. Look at this work of art. Describe what you see. What else do you see? 2. What is the mood of this painting? How does it make you feel? 3. How would you describe the lines? Shapes? Colors? 4. What stands out most to you in this painting? Why? 5. What interests you most about this work of art? 6. How would you describe the people/place/things depicted in this piece? 7. How is this picture different from real life? 8. Is there anything this painting reminds you of? 9. Tell me about the colors in this piece. Which color is most prominent? 10. Which part of this painting do you think is the most important part? 11. How do you think the artist created this piece? 12. If you could meet the artist, what questions would you ask him/her about this painting?

Understand: 1. What do you think is happening in this painting? 2. Does this painting tell a story? What do you think that story is? 3. If you were inside this painting what would it feel like? What sounds would you hear? What fragrances (or odors) would you smell? 4. What do you think it would be like to live at the time of this painting?

5. What do you think the artist is trying to convey or communicate in this painting? 6. What do you think the artist’s mood was when he/she created this piece? Why? 7. What do you think this painting is about? Why? 8. If you were able to name this painting what would you call it? 9. What interests you most about this piece?

Compare: 1. How is this painting like/different than others by this artist? 2. How is this painting like/different than paintings of other artists? 3. Is this painting like/different than real life? How?

Evaluate: 1. What do you think is good about this painting? 2. What do you think is bad about this painting? 3. Would you consider this a “great” work of art? Why or why not? 4. Does this piece inspire you? Why or why not? 5. What do you think is worth remembering about this piece? 6. Do you think this piece would inspire someone else?

Henri Matisse Biography

Henri Matisse (pronunciation) was born on December 31, 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambrésis (pronunciation), France. His father, Émile, was a merchant, and his mother, Anna, worked alongside her husband in the family shop. There, she would offer advice to customers in choosing house paints and color schemes. Anna was an accomplished painter in her own right, painting beautiful porcelain pieces (a fashion- able art form of the day). Henri claimed that he got his color sense from his mother. In 1887, he moved to Paris and began to study law, though he didn’t necessarily enjoy it, he passed the bar in 1888 and began his practice. After finishing law school, he began working as a court administrator. However, in 1889 Matisse had an appendicitis attack. While he was recovering, his mother brought him art supplies and he began to paint. He said, “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.” He had discovered “a kind of paradise” in painting and decided to give up law to engage fully in his art. This was a disappointment to his father, but not so for his mother. In fact, she encouraged him from the beginning and advised him to not adhere to the “rules” of art, but rather listen to his own emotions. Two years later, Matisse returned to Paris to study art. First, he studied under Bouguereau (pronunciation), who trained him in the fundamental, classical style of painting. But Henri felt his teacher was overly perfectionistic. So, he left him to study under Gustave Moreau (pronunciation), a teacher who nurtured his progressive tendencies. As a young artist, Henri was influenced by the works of other artists such as Jean- Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (pronunciation), Nicolas Poussin (pronunciation), Jean-

Antoine Watteau (pronunciation), and Édouard Manet (pronunciation). Out of all these, Chardin was the master Matisse admired the most so as an art student, he made copies of several of Chardin’s paintings. Most of Matisse’s early works (still- lifes and landscapes) were dark and gloomy. In 1897, Henri visited the painter, John Peter Russell in Brittany. It was then that he was introduced to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, particularly, the works of Vincent van Gogh (pronunciation), a personal friend of Russell’s, and Henri’s style of painting completely changed. His painting, The Dinner Table, was completed in 1897, and was displayed in the Paris Salon, but the critics were disgusted by its radical, Impressionist aspects. In 1898, Henri married Amélie Noellie Parayre (pronunciation). The couple raised Marguerite, Henri’s young daughter by Caroline (Camille) Joblaud (pronunciation). And in the following two years, they had two sons, Jean and Pierre. He often used Marguerite and Amélie as his models. At the turn of the 20th century, a new art movement began and lasted around ten years. Matisse was one of the main artists of this movement which incorporated bright, expressive, and vivid colors along with bold, distinctive brushstrokes. When their paintings were shown at the Paris Salon in 1905, art critic Louis Vauxcelles (pronunciation) described these artists as “Les Fauves” (pronunciation) which is French for “wild beasts,” and from then on, the movement was known as Fauvism (pronunciation). Yet Matisse remained undeterred. In fact, as the Fauvism movement declined, his artistic career continued to advance. Some of his finest masterpieces were created between 1906 and 1917. In 1906, Henri met Pablo Picasso (pronunciation). The two artists became “frenemies” – although they were lifelong friends, they were also each other’s greatest rival. Both artists frequently painted women and still life, however Matisse drew and painted from nature, whereas Picasso painted from his own imagination. Towards the end of his life, Matisse was diagnosed with abdominal cancer. After undergoing surgery, he was left chair and bed bound, which meant he was unable

© 2017 Alisha Gratehouse, masterpiecesociety.com 14 to walk and stand for any length of time to paint or sculpt. This is when he developed a new type of medium: paper collage, or découpage (pronunciation). He called it “drawing with scissors.” He would cut colorful papers, which he had painted with gouache (pronunciation), into all sorts of shapes and sizes, then arrange them in fun, lively compositions and glue them together onto a substrate. At first, these pieces were small, but eventually he started creating murals on walls, using a long stick to help him reach where he needed while seated in his wheelchair. Henri Matisse died of a heart attack on November 3, 1954, at the age of 84. He is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. And although he was initially labeled as a “wild beast,” by the 1920s, he was recognized as a leader in the classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of the expressive language of color and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.

Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)

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Fauvism

At the turn of the 20th century, a new art movement began among the French avant-garde (modern, experimental and innovative) artists. This group embraced a vibrant style of painting with vivid colors and bold, expressive brushstrokes. The two main leaders of the movement were Henri Matisse and André Derain (pronunciation). They drew much of their inspiration from the Post-Impressionist artists’ innovative use of color – the way Vincent van Gogh (pronunciation) used it to express powerful emotions, or how Paul Gauguin (pronunciation) used color as a tool for spiritual expression. However, unlike some Post- Impressionists such as Paul Cézanne (pronunciation) and Georges Seurat (pronunciation), these young artists didn’t choose color based on scientific theory. Instead, like the Impressionists, they adopted a freer, more spontaneous painting technique and began simplifying their drawings while incorporating intense color palettes. Their brushstrokes were daring and dramatic – sometimes they even applied their paint directly from the tube to the canvas. André Derain said of this group, “We were intoxicated with color, with the sun that makes color live.” Even after the “shock” of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism at the end of the 19th century, to the art establishment at the Paris Salon, this modern style of painting was extremely radical. At the Salon d’Automne in 1905, art critic Louis Vauxcelles (pronunciation) saw their artwork displayed around a Renaissance sculpture and proclaimed, “Donatello chez les fauves” (pronunciation), which translated is, “Donatello among the wild beasts.” The group of artists confidently adopted the name “Les Fauves,”

© 2017 Alisha Gratehouse, masterpiecesociety.com 17 making Matisse the king of the “wild beasts.” From then on, the movement was known as Fauvism. The Fauvists continued to receive harsh censure, being called “barbaric children,” and “mad men.” Another critic wrote, “A pot of paint has been flung in the face of the public.” And wealthy American art collector, Leo Stein, called Matisse’s painting, Woman with a Hat, “the nastiest smear of paint I have ever seen.” Incidentally, Stein’s sister, Gertrude, purchased the painting. Although Matisse refused to be discouraged by the criticism, the Fauvism movement declined, lasting only about ten years – from 1900 to around 1910, as the artists moved on to creating different styles of art.

Famous Fauvist Artists Besides Henri Matisse and André Derain, other artists in the Fauvism movement were: Maurice de Vlaminck (pronunciation), Albert Marquet (pronunciation), Louis Valtat (pronunciation), Charles Camoin (pronunciation), Georges Braque (pronunciation) (co-founder of Cubism with Pablo Picasso), and others.

Fun Facts about Fauvism • Fauvism was inspired by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. • Fauvism influenced Expressionism’s tendency toward random colors and jarring compositions. • Popular subject matter for Fauvists included people, country landscapes, lakes or seascapes. • There were very few urban scenes painted in the Fauvist style.

Fauvism

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Fun Facts About Henri Matisse

• Henri Matisse’s full name is Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse (pronunciation).

• He was born on New Year’s Eve.

• Matisse didn’t take up art until he was 21 years old, while stuck in bed recuperating from appendicitis.

• His father wanted him to be a lawyer, so he attended law school and became a law clerk for a short period of time.

• Matisse was most inspired by Post-Impressionist artist, Paul Cézanne.

• Brother and sister, Leo and Gertrude Stein, were major patrons of Henri Matisse, purchasing a large number of his paintings and helping to establish him in the art world.

• Gertrude Stein introduced Henri Matisse to Pablo Picasso. The two would become lifelong friends and rivals.

• Matisse’s daughter Marguerite was active in the French Resistance against German occupation in World War II.

• Henri Matisse invented a new type of art creating paper cut-outs. He called it “drawing with scissors.”

• Henri Matisse had a great love for birds. Once while walking around the banks of the river Seine, he bought five or six birds from a merchant. He delighted in their shapes and colors, plumage and singing. Nearing the end of his life, Matisse gave Picasso, who also loved birds, the last of his fancy pigeons.

Henri Matisse Quotes for Copywork

• “Creativity takes courage.”

• “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

• “I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.”

• “Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.”

• “Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.”

• “An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, a prisoner of style, a prisoner of reputation, or a prisoner of success.”

• “It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color…as a means of personal expression.”

• “It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else.”

• “He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back.”

• “Why have I never been bored? For more than fifty years I have never ceased to work.”

• “When I put a green, it is not grass. When I put a blue, it is not the sky.”

• “It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another. Otherwise, you have cacophony.”

• “Would not it be best to leave room to mystery?”

• “What interests me most is neither still life nor landscape: it is the human figure.”

• “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.”

• “I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime, which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me.”

• “A young painter who cannot liberate himself from the influence of past generations is digging his own grave.”

Masterpiece #1: Woman with a Hat

Introduction Imagine you’re an artist. You’ve studied hard, learning from the great masters before you, you’ve faithfully practiced and developed your skills, you’ve even mustered up the courage to try something new and innovative. You finally create what the French would call your pièce de résistance – your masterpiece. You submit your fabulous work of art to a prestigious art show, secretly hoping to amaze and astonish everyone around you, and on the day of your exhibition, someone calls your piece, “the nastiest smear of paint I have ever seen.” That’s exactly what happened to Henri Matisse, and it hurt him deeply.

Background In the fall of 1905, Matisse submitted his painting, Woman with a Hat, to the Salon d’Automne in Paris, it was accepted and exhibited. However, it wasn’t very well received. In fact, along with works by a few of Matisse’s artist friends, the painting received venomous criticism. As mentioned earlier, these artists were called, “wild beasts,” “barbaric children,” and “mad men.” An art critic brutally declared, “A pot of paint has been flung in the face of the public.” Like many brilliant artists before him, Matisse was being ridiculed and scorned by the art establishment of the day for trying to articulate what was inside him. Henri Matisse was inspired by the Post-Impressionist artists. He loved the expressive colors of Vincent van Gogh, the distorted perspective of Paul Cézanne, and the pointillist techniques of Georges Seurat. He wanted to incorporate these methods in his own special way and create an entirely new style of art. With loose brushwork and bold, vibrant colors, Matisse painted a portrait of his wife, Amélie. He wasn’t concerned with capturing a photorealistic portrait of her, rather he sought to express himself with color. In this area he succeeded, because

© 2017 Alisha Gratehouse, masterpiecesociety.com 24 when asked what his wife was wearing while he was painting her portrait, Matisse replied, “Black, of course.” It’s true that in color theory, black is the presence of all colors (not to be mistaken for “light spectrum” which is the exact opposite). So perhaps, Henri Matisse saw beyond what others could see and was pulling out the various pigments in his wife’s clothing as he painted her. Although it was American art critic, Leo Stein, who made the nasty comment about this painting, it turned out to be his sister, Gertrude, who purchased it. The brother and sister would become staunch supporters and avid collectors of Matisse’s artwork.

Mediums and Techniques Woman with a Hat was painted in 1905 with oils on canvas. Click here to see a larger image of this piece. (Be sure to click on again on the cursor to magnify the painting so you can see Matisse’s brushwork.) Henri’s wife Amélie sat for this portrait. She is dressed elaborately in the classic style of the French bourgeoisie (pronunciation), with quite an extravagant hat perched on top of her head. Her gloved arm is clutching a fan. The loose brushwork and unfinished look of the piece shocked, even offended, the art critics when it was exhibited. The odd coloring on the woman’s face gives it a mask-like appearance. Matisse’s use of thick, broad brushstrokes combined with pointillist color challenged the way art was viewed at the time. Henri Matisse claimed that color and form could only achieve their full potential when they became independent from the objects they depicted. He accomplished this in Woman with a Hat. On first glance, the viewer sees the woman. But looking at it just a bit longer, one sees color – bright, vivid, beautiful color. And that is what makes this piece stand out among thousands of others. Matisse once declared, “I feel through color.”

Complementary Colors Matisse didn’t randomly slap paints on the canvas. Rather, he incorporated the use of pure color, organizing it on the picture plane by contrasting “complementary colors,” which are colors on opposite ends of the color spectrum (below).

Red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple are all opposites of each other on the color wheel (or spectrum), therefore, they are complementary. This means when they are placed side by side, complementary colors make each other appear brighter.

By making use of color theory, Matisse achieved an energetic effect. If you click on the link above, magnify the image and use the scrollbars to navigate around the painting, you’ll see how he repeated the pairs of complimentary colors throughout. This technique keeps the viewer’s eye from stopping at certain points on the piece. Instead, it encourages the eye to continue moving around the painting.

Changing Times in Art In the mid- to late 19th century, photography began to grow in popularity. Smaller, more portable cameras were being invented, making “picture taking” easier and more accessible to the average, ordinary person. No longer was there a need for a painter to create precise portraits of family members for the sake of future generations. Now, all one needed to do was stand still for a few moments while a machine did the work that, at one time, only a master artist could do. So instead of artists trying to create ideal representations of people or objects, they were free to draw from within themselves for inspiration on how they wanted to portray any given subject matter. The bright colors and loose brushwork that Matisse used in his paintings allowed him to express his individual style and any particular emotions he was feeling at the time.

Questions to Consider After scrolling around the painting, and getting a good “up close” look at it, answer the following questions: • What is the first thing you noticed about this work? Was it the subject matter? Brushstrokes? Color? Why do you think you noticed that first? • Does this work of art express emotion? If so, which one(s)? • How does this piece make you feel? • Do you agree with the art critics who first saw this piece that it is just a “nasty smear” of paint? Or do you think the piece is innovative and intelligent?

More Information Would you like more information on Woman with a Hat? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Woman with a Hat

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Woman with a Hat Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of Woman with a Hat with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Masterpiece #2: Goldfish

Introduction Have you ever just sat and watched fish in an aquarium? It’s quite interesting to watch how they glide gently and effortlessly through the water. Fish are calm and soothing – almost mesmerizing – to sit and watch. They are also visually appealing, especially with all the different varieties of tropical fish that exist. Goldfish, which are rather common today, were first bred in China over a thousand years ago. They were introduced to Portugal in 1611, and then throughout other parts of Europe soon afterwards. In southern Europe, they were highly regarded for their metallic scales and came to symbolize good fortune.

Background In January of 1912, Henri Matisse visited Tangier, Morocco (pronunciation), on the northern coast of Africa, and remained there for several months. Later he recalled how the people there would sit for hours, daydreaming, and gazing at goldfish in bowls. The relaxing, tranquil way of life was completely different than the hustle and bustle of Paris. Like other Europeans who visited there, Matisse appreciated and admired the slow, laid back lifestyle of the Moroccans. Goldfish, then, came to symbolize tranquility, a peaceful, calm state of mind for Matisse. They also began showing up in his paintings, nine of them, to be exact, plus even more in his drawings and prints. Matisse had created his home in the suburbs south of Paris to be his own little paradise, an escape from the busyness of Parisian life. This piece, Goldfish (click here to see the painting enlarged), completed in 1912, is simply arranged with items from around his home.

Mediums and Techniques The composition of Goldfish is colorful and crowded, painted in Matisse’s garden conservatory. He has gathered his houseplants, garden furniture, and a tall cylindrical glass container which houses four goldfish. The curves of the fish bowl are echoed in the tabletop, the ornamental railing, as well as the foliage. The viewer’s eyes are immediately drawn to the center of the composition by the bright orange color of the fish which contrasts with the blues, deep greens, and pinks. Since blue and orange, as well as red and green are complementary colors, when they are placed next to each other, they appear even brighter. This was a technique commonly used by the Fauves, and although this piece was created after Matisse’s Fauvism days, his color choices were still affected by that period. Matisse was strongly influenced by Post-Impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne. In this piece, he uses Cézanne’s altered perspective technique. The viewer can see the fish from two different angles at the same time – from the front and from above. From the front of the container, we see all their details: their eyes, mouths, and fins. But from above, we see only thick brushstrokes of orange, suggesting they are underneath the surface, but giving us no real form. Even though the painting is busy, it still has a balanced, tranquil feel. The flowers frame and soften the centerpiece, and gently contrast with the dark gray space beneath the table, allowing the eye to rest.

Painting His Tranquility Henri Matisse obviously didn’t remain in Morocco, but he desired to portray that quiet tranquility through his art. He once wrote: “I dream of an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter, an art that could be…a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from fatigue.” The fish symbolized this for him. Perhaps that’s why they showed up so often in his artwork.

Other Paintings with Fish Let’s take a look at just a few of Matisse’s works in which he’s painted fish:

Zora on the Terrace (left) was created in 1912 with oils on canvas. Click here to view a larger version.

Interior with a Bowl with Red Fish (right) was painted in 1914 with oils. Click here to see this piece enlarged.

Goldfish and Palette (left) was painted in 1916 with oils on canvas. Click here to see a larger version.

Young Woman before an Aquarium (right) was painted in 1922 with oils on canvas. Click here to see a larger image.

The Goldfish Bowl (left) was created in 1922 with oils. Click here to view a larger version.

Woman Before a Fish Bowl (right) was painted in 1922 with oils on canvas. Click here to enlarge the image.

Questions to Consider • This is just a sampling of the “fish” paintings by Matisse, but what do you think of them? • Which one is your favorite? Why? • His styles and techniques change over time, but can you still feel the sense of calm and serenity the fish bring to the composition in each of these pieces? • Matisse felt it was important to please the viewer. How does each of these paintings make you feel? • How does his use of color create a sense of calm in each piece?

More Information Would you like more information on Goldfish? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Goldfish

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Goldfish Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of Goldfish with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Masterpiece #3: Sorrows of the King

Introduction In 1941, Henri Matisse was diagnosed with abdominal cancer and had to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, the operation left him bound to his bed and wheelchair. Since he was unable to walk or stand for any length of time, it was very difficult for him to continue painting or sculpting. But being the visionary artist that he was, he developed a new style of art which he called “drawing with scissors.” Today, we call it collage or découpage.

Background Matisse’s collage, The Sorrows of the King, was created in 1952. Click here to view a larger image of the collage. This piece is a reference to a painting created by Rembrandt van Rijn between 1660 and 1665 called, David Playing the Harp before Saul (1 Samuel 18:10 in the Bible). Click here to see Rembrandt’s painting enlarged. Whenever King Saul was tormented and troubled, David, who was a skilled musician, would be called into his chambers to play the harp for him. David’s music would comfort and soothe King Saul so that he could get relief from his anguish. In Rembrandt’s piece, we see King Saul

wiping tears from his eyes with a curtain. His reign is coming to an end, and David will soon take his place. King Saul is threatened by David (who is the hero of Israel after defeating the giant, Goliath) and wants to kill him. At the same time, he desperately needs David to help calm his anxiety and fears. Rembrandt brilliantly portrays the suffering and sorrows of the old king – torn by hatred and jealousy, while at the same time, undoubtedly moved by David’s beautiful music.

A Self-Portrait by an Old Man Over the years, Henri Matisse created quite a few self-portraits, from properly painted ones to hurried sketches. The Sorrows of the King collage is considered to be his final self-portrait. Matisse had become an old man of 83 years. He had been confined to a wheelchair for the last eleven of them, unable to do the things he once did when he was younger. This collage depicts the theme of someone in old age, reflecting on his earlier days and all the delights he’s enjoyed throughout the years. The collage is bittersweet, because while Matisse is remembering all the things that have enriched his life, at the same time, there is a note of sadness because those days are gone. He knows that his life is coming to an end. Even the name, Sorrows of the King, is melancholy. We think of a “king” as someone who has everything in life that he wants. But even kings can’t live forever. The black cutout in the center represents Matisse. Like a silhouette, he reclines back in his chair (or throne, perhaps), surrounded by the things in his life that have brought him pleasure over the years. He holds a guitar that is creating a gentle tune. Music is represented by the yellow leaf-like petals fluttering joyfully around the composition – similar to how someone might illustrate a melody by drawing musical notes floating in the air. One theme in this piece, that echoes Rembrandt’s painting is how music can soothe the soul and ease the cares of life. Behind Matisse, the green figure represents a dancing female, the embodiment of all the women he has loved throughout his life. And all around him is the vivid © 2017 Alisha Gratehouse, masterpiecesociety.com 43

colors and patterns he favored in his artwork. This piece is a culmination of his life and work.

Mediums and Techniques Matisse painted papers with gouache (a paint similar to watercolor, but thicker and opaque) and after they dried, he would cut them out in various shapes and sizes. Then, he would arrange them in lively compositions and glue them to a substrate such as a canvas. Sometimes he made a collage on a wall, creating large murals with the help of a long stick to reach where he wanted a particular piece to go. In the Sorrows of the King collage, Matisse created a mix of geometrical and organic (curvy, free form) shapes, and glued them on paper. The piece is large – approximately 9 and ½ feet high, by 12 and ½ feet wide. It is filled with brilliant blues, greens, magentas and yellows.

Questions to Consider • Look at the collage again. What images do you see? • How does this piece make you feel? • Do you feel the joy of the music? Why or why not? • Do you like the collage? Why or why not?

More Information Would you like more information on Matisse’s cutouts or Sorrows of the King? Check out the book and video recommendations under “Recommended for Further Study” at the end of these lessons.

Sorrows of the King

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Sorrows of the King Enrichment Activity

If you would like to enrich your study of the Sorrows of the King with a “no fuss” art activity, simply print out the template on the following page. Older students can use it as transfer pattern for painting projects, or they may prefer to color in with pastels, charcoals, or colored pencils. Younger students can use it as a coloring page to “create” alongside older siblings. For in-depth art lessons on each of the masterpieces we study in this volume, check out my Mixing with the Masters art course.

Art Terms to Remember

Below is a list of terms and definitions that we discussed in this study of Matisse:

1. avant-garde - modern, experimental and innovative artists

2. Collage – the art of gluing papers and found objects to a substrate, such as cardboard or wood

3. complementary colors – colors on opposite ends of the color spectrum

4. Cubism – art form in which subjects are analyzed, broken down into basic shapes, then reassembled in abstract form.

5. Expressionism – art movement in which the image of reality is distorted in order to make it expressive of the artist’s inner feelings or ideas

6. Fauvism – a style of painting with vivid expressionistic and unnatural use of color

7. gouache – a paint similar to watercolor, but thicker and opaque

8. impasto – a technique in which paint is laid thickly onto the canvas in such a way that the brush strokes remain visible

9. Impressionism – art movement which focused on loose brushwork, brighter, intense color palettes, and capturing the impression of the moment on canvas

10. organic shapes – curvy, free form shapes (as opposed to geometrical)

11. Pointillism – painting technique in which dots of color are applied in patterns on a canvas to form a bigger image. The look is often soft and impressionistic.

12. Post-Impressionism – art movement which focused on the bolder use of color and line, geometrical forms and patterns, and light in painting

Recommended for Further Study

Want even more enrichment materials to complement your Henri Matisse study? Here is a list of resources:

(Please Note: Although we love many of the works of the master artists, we may or may not agree with how they lived their lives. Some of the recommended videos, books, or web pages touch on certain facets of their lives that may be unsuitable for children. Please use your own discretion as a parent.)