Matisse: Notes of a Painter Flashcards
What does Matisse say about the connection between his recent and earlier works?
His basic idea hasn’t changed, but his thought has evolved, and his modes of expression have followed his thought. He doesn’t repudiate past paintings, but there isn’t one he wouldn’t change if he could. His destination is the same, but his route different.
What does he say about the connection between theory and expression?
That the thought of a painter can’t be separated from his pictorial means. He can’t distinguish between the feeling he has about life and his way of translating it.
What does he say about harmony in painting?
Everything in his paintings is expressing something: the place occupied by the figures, empty spaces, proportions, etc. Principal and secondary components play their important roles. Everything not useful is harmful.
How does he choose colours?
He doesn’t rely on colour theory, but observation, sensitivity, and felt experiences.
What controversial thing about an armchair did he say?
He said he wanted his art to be like a good armchair that provides relaxation from physical fatigue. Accessible to everyone, reaching balance, serenity, and purity while avoiding troubling and depressing subject matter.
