{"id":5860,"date":"2014-04-22T17:53:47","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T10:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maggiemaggio.com\/color\/?p=5860"},"modified":"2014-04-23T00:10:57","modified_gmt":"2014-04-22T17:10:57","slug":"cutting-into-color-matisse-at-the-tate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maggiemaggio.com\/color\/2014\/04\/cutting-into-color-matisse-at-the-tate\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting into Color: Matisse at the Tate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"EasteratTate2014-1\"<\/a>

The Snail<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the highlights of my short stay in London was visiting the Matisse show at Tate Modern on Easter Sunday. Now that I think about it, Easter was the perfect day to see the exhibit. Matisse almost died following colon surgery at the age of 71. He called the period after his near-death experience his “second life” and the cut-outs exuberantly reflect his joy in a new life.<\/p>\n

I always thought that Matisse went to cut-outs because he could no longer paint – but the audio guide make it clear that’s a common misconception. \u00a0Once he discovered he could draw directly into color with scissors he chose to give up painting to explore color in three-dimensions.<\/p>\n

\"Henri<\/a><\/p>\n

One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was a case in the corner of Room 6 – \u00a0missed by many people – with the leftover bits of paper lined up to show all the colors used by Matisse.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Mark Carswell<\/p><\/div>\n

Gorgeous and vibrant colors even after sixty years, the colors are supersaturated with velvety, opaque gouache.<\/p>\n

Nothing prepared me for the emotion of seeing room after room of the cut-outs in person.\u00a0I’ve seen many of the 120 images in books over the years. There is no comparison. The originals are bursting with color.<\/p>\n

\"Henri-Matisse-The-Horse-the-Rider-and-the-Clown-1943-4\"<\/a>

The Horse the Rider and the Clown<\/p><\/div>\n

To see the edges so clearly – some slightly peeling away – gave each image a depth that is missing in the printed versions shown in cases below the originals. In one of his first works – Two Dancers – you can even see the tacks he sometimes used to layer the cut pieces.<\/p>\n

\"Matisse<\/a>Another surprise was the size of some of the later pieces. Huge!<\/p>\n

\"Henri<\/a>

Large Decoration With Masks
Photograph: Guy Bell\/REX The Guardian<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Henri<\/a>

The Parakeet and the Mermaid
AP Photo\/Kirsty Wigglesworth<\/p><\/div>\n

And then there were the glass \u00a0scraps from the stained glass windows.<\/p>\n

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The second to the last piece in the exhibit is the full size cut-out cartoon for the last piece in the exhibit – \u00a0a stained glass window commissioned for the Time-Life building in NYC. You can’t help but compare the colors of the cut-out paper with the colors of the glass. If the original full-size cut-outs are 100% more vibrant than the printed versions – then the stained glass is 500%.\u00a0Color with light! Gorgeous!<\/p>\n

If you can’t get to London, the exhibit will travel to MOMA in the fall. Its an absolute must see!<\/p>\n

\"Matisse<\/a><\/p>\n