Matisse

Description

The work of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) reflects an ongoing belief in the power of brilliant colors and simple forms. Though famed in particular for his paintings, Matisse also worked with drawing, sculpture, lithography, stained glass, and collage, developing his unique cut-out medium when old age left him unable to stand and paint. Matisse's subjects were often conventional: nudes, portraits, and figures in landscapes, Oriental scenes, and interior views, but in his handling of bold color and fluid draftsmanship, he secured his place as a 20th-century master. It was Matisse's palette that particularly thrilled the modern imagination. With vivid blue, amethyst purple, egg-yolk yellow, and many shades beyond he liberated his work from a meticulous representation of reality and sought instead a "vital harmony," often referring to music as an inspiration or analogy for his work. A comprehensive and informative source, this lavishly illustrated publication has been revised in close collaboration with the Matisse estate. Including preparatory studies, full-page reproductions, and enlarged details, discover the artist's adventurous path, from the chromatic brilliance of his Fauve period, right through to his invention of gouache cut-outs at the ripe age of 80. Each image has been reproduced with painstaking care to create a viewing experience worthy of the expressionist par excellence. The bard of color deserves no less. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions L'oeuvre d'Henri Matisse (1869-1954) revele sa croyance eternelle dans le pouvoir des couleurs pures et des formes simples. Bien qu'il soit surtout reconnu pour sa peinture, Matisse s'est aussi illustre en dessin, en sculpture, en lithographie, dans l'art du vitrail ainsi que du collage, dont il a developpe sa propre technique de decoupage quand son grand age l'empechait de rester debout et de peindre. Matisse a la plupart du temps peint des sujets classiques: nus, portraits, paysage animes de silhouettes, scene orientales et vues interieures. Pourtant, son traitement des couleurs intenses et son dessin fluide lui conferent une place de maitre du XXe siecle. La palette de Matisse a particulierement enchante l'imagination moderne. Par son usage du bleu intense, du violet amethyste et du jaune d'oeuf dans toutes leurs nuances, il a libere son oeuvre des carcans d'une representation rigoureuse de la realite et a plutot cherche une "harmonie vitale", en prenant la musique comme source d'inspiration et figure de comparaison dans son travail. Des grands tableaux remplis de motifs aux portraits simples et tendres, ce livre presente l'immense richesse et l'intense creativite qui a caracterise la carriere de Matisse, en parcourant ses premieres oeuvres rattachees au mouvement fauviste jusqu'a ses derniers projets tels que Jazz et la chapelle du Rosaire, a Vence. A propos de la collection Chaque volume de la Basic Art Series de TASCHEN contient: une chronologique detaillee de la vie et de l'oeuvre de l'artiste qui rend compte de son importance culturelle et artistique une biographie concise une centaine d'illustrations couleur accompagnees de legendes explicatives

Volkmar Essers, born in 1944, studied art history, archaeology, and German in Bonn, Munich, and Berlin. In 1972 he earned his doctorate with a work on the sculptor Johann Friedrich Drake. For many years, he has been the curator for the Art Collection of North Rhine-Westphalia, where he organized exhibitions of Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, and other artists. Essers has also published numerous essays and books on art of the 19th and 20th centuries.