A STUDY OF the artworks of Henri matisse & Andre’ Durain FAUVISM A STUDY OF the artworks of Henri matisse & Andre’ Durain

Fauvism – French for “Wild Beasts” A small group of French artists Produced paintings using vivid, unrealistic and contrasting colours for emotional effect The movement was short-lived, 1904 – 1907 Influenced by Post-Impressionism Influenced the way Expressionist art developed in Europe

Salon d’Automne 1905 Henri Matisse Andre’ Derain Maurice de Vlaminck The Artists Avante-garde Henri Matisse Andre’ Derain Maurice de Vlaminck Raoul Dufy Georges Rouault The French word for vanguard. A group or work that is innovative or inventive on one or more levels: subject, medium, technique, style, or relationship to context. An avant-garde work pushes the known boundaries of acceptable art sometimes with revolutionary, cultural, or political implications. (http://www.nga.gov/feature/manet/tdef_avant.htm)

he lived through some of the most traumatic political events in recorded history, the worst wars, the greatest slaughters, the most demented rivalries of ideology, without, it seems, turning a hair. Matisse never made a didactic painting or signed a manifesto, and there is scarcely one reference to a political event - let alone an expression of political opinion - to be found anywhere in his writings. Perhaps Matisse did suffer from fear and loathing like the rest of us, but there is no trace of them in his work. His studio was a world within the world: a place of equilibrium that, for sixty continuous years, produced images of comfort, refuge, and balanced satisfaction. Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) Born, and worked in France. One of the “giants” of 20th Century Art Constantly redefined the language of painting by exploring new visual ideas. Firstly he painted in the style of impressionism, then pointillism, which led to fauvism and the use of colour for it’s own sake. A gentle man, he lived through some of the worst events in history but always reflected scenes of comfort and refuge.

“Open Window at Collioure”, (1905) One of the very first fauve works. This scene is set on the French Mediterranean coast, near the Spanish border. Van Gogh influenced Matisse to be more experimental with colour. This scene could be the view of a leisurely holiday-maker from their hotel bedroom. This painting was ridiculed by the traditional art critics of the day for it’s disregard for realistic colours or details. An Open Window Industrial revolution resulted in extensive travel for Matisse, resulting in scenes from many areas of France. His travels included visiting other artist exhibitions at that time, and Van Gogh’s 1901 exhibition opened Matisse to the possibilities of colour in new ways. There are elements within this artwork that remind me of Van Gogh. Matisse always portrayed a positive and serene atmosphere in his work. The Open Window painting depicts a warm, relaxed holiday scene. The potted geraniums are a typical hot-climate flower, typically found in Spanish decor, and so defines the mediterranean feel of the scene. Matisse’s underlying aim always remained the same: to discover "the essential character of things" and to produce an art "of balance, purity, and serenity,“. “When I put a green, it is not grass. When I put a blue, it is not the sky”. —Matisse

“Woman with a Hat (Madam Matisse)” 1905 Very non-traditional Highly decorative hat (reflects status or pride) Cold facial expression, back to the artist Impersonal - no context shown. Show influence of Cezanne, and Van Gogh.

Comparison of two artworks by Matisse Open Window at Collioure - 1905 Woman with a Hat (Madam Matisse) - 1905 Open Window: Strong vertical lines create geometric frames of information. Hints of impressionism with broken lines of harmonising colours and tones. (More analogous, warm colours than Woman with Hat) Matisse has used bold strokes of vibrant, unnatural colours to define the sea, sky and boats. The scene outside is light, the atmosphere one of summer heat. The interior shows timber doors in the colour of sun-burnt flesh, flung open to possibly seek a cooling breeze. Walls are painted deep colours, possibly typical of the style of the time, but which serve to create tonal contrast with the bright sunlit scene beyond. Joyful celebration of warmth, light and colour. Woman with Hat Curvaceous lines work to soften the otherwise harsh, flat tonalities of the composition. (as opposed to the straight geometrical lines of Open Window) Explosion of vivid, complimentary colours, showing more brilliant hues than Open Window. Cool flat areas of background colour reflect back onto the face to create tonal definition. Deep contrasting tones serve to create balance, and to frame the focal point (face) The highly textural hat is balanced with flat planes of colour, much in the same way as Open Window. Both paintings are predominantly light in tone, balanced within the frame by smaller, specific areas of dark colours. Both paintings have the focal point positioned quite squarely in the centre of the frame, however there is little detail in the background of the portrait, whilst the Open Window brings attention to both the foreground and background.

Personal Response to “Open Window” Self-indulgence Familiar casual-ness in the execution Private glimpse from a private place. Warmth, and restfulness I feel a sense of self-indulgence in this painting. I suspect that Matisse spent a lot of his time looking at this scene from his hotel bed. The fact that the ocean scene is so far away in the distance, I suspect that Matisse’s leisure time activities were not of a sailing nature. And after seeing his portrait of his wife, I suspect she isn’t sharing this moment with him. The flesh-coloured painted doors, typical of a spanish holiday villa, add warmth and softness to the otherwise architectural composition. I feel like I am getting a private glimpse from Matisse’s eyes, as if I am him in that time, in that place. It is a snapshot of a moment, possibly a very typical holiday view, in an atmosphere of private indulgence.

HOW TO WRITE A BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR BOOKS Author (surname first, followed by first name or initials) Title of publication (underlined, or using Italics) Publishing company Place of publication (usually a town or city) Year of publication This information can usually be found on the first two pages of a book. Example: Marotta, Helen, Examining Rules and Laws, South Melbourne : Macmillan, 1996

HOW TO REFERENCE RESEARCH MATERIAL FROM THE INTERNET Surname and name of author (if provided) Title of work (if provided) The web site address or E-mail address The date on which you visited the site or collected the information (in brackets) Example: (Web site:) "Boots for Hiking", http://www.blundstone.com.au (collected 14/7/98)

Bibliography Hodge, A.N., The History of Art, Arcturus Publishing Ltd, London, 2007 Chilvers, Ian, and Osborne, Harold, and Farr, Dennis. The Oxford Dictionary of Art, Oxford University Press, UK, 1994. Bolton, Roy, A Brief History of Painting, Magpie Books, London, 2004. Websites: http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/f/fauvism.html (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://www.moma.org (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/artists_a-k/derain/Derain_PortraitOfMatisse.jpg (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://arthistorypart2.blogspot.com/2010/12/fauvism.html (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://cgfa.acropolisinc.com/matisse/index.html (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://www.arthistoryunstuffed.com/tag/salon-dautomne/ (Retrieved 6/8/11) http://www.henri-matisse.net/biography.html

Useful Websites www.artcyclopedia.com www.moma.org www.tate.org.uk http://arthistory.about.com http://www.artmovements.co.uk/home.htm http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/education/education-materials/ http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/school-educator-programs