Synopses & Reviews
"...to devote my life to the essential thing-- the thing for which I am made and which can bring a little happiness to the great family, the greatest spiritual family."--Matisse to André Rouveyre, September 4, 1942Of all the artists of this century, Henri Matisse is one of the greatest and most beloved. His influence on modern art, both during his lifetime and today, has never stopped growing; in the eyes of the world, he is the French painter par excellence.
Henri Matisse is all the more cherished because his work celebrates the positive aspects of life, as evidenced by the titles of many of his major paintings: Luxe, Calme et Volupté, La Joie de Vivre, La Danse, Musique, to mention but a few. His explosions and juxtapositions of color and pattern inspire pure delight in the beholder, and his mastery of line, volume, and form are perhaps unequaled in the art of our time. The vitality, energy, and life-enhancing qualities that radiate from his art represent distillation of all that is affirmative in the human condition and are given immortality through that rare and indefinable quality known as genius.
The art of Matisse describes a trajectory leading from realism to abstraction, from darkness to light, from the cold of the north to the heat of the south, a route marked off by such revolutionary innovations as the burst of color found in Fauvism or the invention of his cut-outs. Matisse was still creating at a time in his life when many artists are content to rest on their laurels.
Since its original publication in 1984, this book by Pierre Schneider stands alone as the bible on the art of Matisse. The author spent fourteen years amassing a prodigious amount of information on the artist, and includes his own personal and original views on the work. Including over nine hundred illustrations, this is the most substantial reference of the works of Matisse ever published.
The reader will discover Matisse watercolorist, draftsman, ceramist, and the architect-- and unquestionably one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.
Synopsis
Bibliografâia : p. 741-745.
Incluye âindice : p. 748-752.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 741-745) and index.
Synopsis
This is the most complete and beautiful study of the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, near Nice in the South of France, considered one of the most important religious structures of the modern age and regarded by Henri Matisse himself as his great masterpiece. Matisse dedicated four years to the creation of this chapel, and the result is one of the most remarkable ensemble pieces of 20th-century art. Every element of the chapel bears the artistand#8217;s touch, from the vivid Mediterranean hues of the stained-glass windows to the starkly powerful murals; even the vestments and altar were designed by Matisse. Using superb new photography that demonstrates the dramatic effect of changing light throughout the day, this book is the first to present the experience of being in this sacred space exactly as Matisse envisaged it. Marie- Thand#233;rand#232;se Pulvenis de Selignyand#8217;s authoritative text explores the extraordinary story of the chapeland#8217;s creation and the challenges faced by the 77-year-old artist in realizing his great vision.
Praise for Matisse: The Chapel at Vence:
and#147;Includes a wealth of sketches and models ... tells us much about Matisseand#8217;s process. . . . The images sing with colourand#8221; and#150; Architectural Review November 2013
and#160;
About the Author
Pierre Schneider dedicated fourteen years to the creation of his magisterial study of Matisse and his work. He is widely regarded as the world's leading expert on the artist.
After collaborating on Temps Modernes of Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Critique of Georges Bataille, and Cahiers du Sud, Schneider worked with the critic and art historian Georges Duthuit, son-in-law of Matisse, for approximately ten years.
Author of numerous works on aesthetics and the history of art, Schneider also contributed regularly to such important journals as Artnews, Art in America, Vogue, Encounter, and the Burlington Magazine. He has been the advisor and organizer of large Matisse exhibitions, most notably the Matisse Centennial Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1970.