Henri Matisse, Textile Artist by Susanna Marie Kuehl
HENRI MATISSE, TEXTILE ARTIST COSTUMES DESIGNED FOR THE BALLETS RUSSES PRODUCTION OF LE CHANT DU ROSSIGNOL, 1919–1920 Susanna Marie Kuehl Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the History of Decorative Arts Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts The Smithsonian Associates and Corcoran College of Art + Design 2011 ©2011 Susanna Marie Kuehl All Rights Reserved To Marie Muelle and the anonymous fabricators of Le Chant du Rossignol TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements . ii List of Figures . iv Chapter One: Introduction: The Costumes as Matisse’s ‘Best Spokesman . 1 Chapter Two: Where Matisse’s Art Meets Textiles, Dance, Music, and Theater . 15 Chapter Three: Expression through Color, Movement in a Line, and Abstraction as Decoration . 41 Chapter Four: Matisse’s Interpretation of the Orient . 65 Chapter Five: Conclusion: The Textile Continuum . 92 Appendices . 106 Notes . 113 Bibliography . 134 Figures . 142 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As in all scholarly projects, it is the work of not just one person, but the support of many. Just as Matisse created alongside Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Massine, and Muelle, there are numerous players that contributed to this thesis. First and foremost, I want to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Heidi Näsström Evans for her continual commitment to this project and her knowledgeable guidance from its conception to completion. Julia Burke, Textile Conservator at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, was instrumental to gaining not only access to the costumes for observation and photography, but her energetic devotion and expertise in the subject of textiles within the realm of fine arts served as an immeasurable inspiration.
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