Still Life 3: Rearranging Matisse

January 19, 2022

Fruit Bowl with Oranges: An Acrylic painting by Jo that relies more on colour than form for its impact

Rearranging Matisse sounds like heresy, but is in fact a useful exercise because it illuminates the possibilities that arranging and rearranging objects bring. Matisse had a different interest in still life to Morandi. Matisse consciously sought to communicate what he felt about objects, and as early as 1908 told his students, “To copy objects in a still life is nothing; one must render the emotion they awaken in him”, whereas Morandi writes “The only interest the visible world awakens in me concerns space, light, colour and forms.” Morandi was far more interested in communicating what he saw with his eyes.

The illustrations in this post include my version of “Still Life with Sea Shell on Black Marble” 1940. Matisse had some difficulty in finding a suitable composition for these objects and resorted to using cut outs of apples and string to mark the table edge before arriving at the final study. Matisse only ever intended this as a study for a final work but it is a method you may like to try. As you will see I have rearranged his objects after very rapidly noting the development of this work at the “Matisse in his Studio” exhibition at the Royal Academy several years ago. I also took serious liberties with the colour of the background and table top.

Jo’s sketch from Matisse’s way of moving his objects around to arrive at a satisfying composition; included apples cut from green paper; shell drawn on brown paper; ceramics drawn on white paper and string to mark the table edges

Very hasty sketch of Matisse’s final version; note cropped coffee pot and cropped apple on the right. As you can se I had a lot of fun with this!

Jo cut and painted papers in the shapes of all the objects, and then moved them around on a board which was painted in gouache choosing very different colours to the Matisse still life.

Jo’s final composition inspired by the development of “Still Life with Sea Shell”, 1940, by Matisse: the objects are rearranged and the colours of the table top and background have been radically changed. After gluing down the objects more gouache was applied. Jo has sought to retain an idea of “conversation” between the objects.

“Still Life with Sea Shell on Black Marble” is included in my Still Life Pinterest Board: Section Matisse, link given below:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jhall1282/still-life/matisse/

Both artists used their objects as “actors” arranging them on “the set” and often using the same actors in different works. Both were interested in the relationships between objects but while Morandi searched for the nuances of light, shade and spatial relationships, Matisse also wished to bring objects and their associated memories into the equation. This extended to bringing a unity to arrangements of objects he had collected on his journeys or that he had grown up with, and throwing their surroundings and sometimes fruit and flowers into the mix. In Morandi’s still lives one never sees a still life before an open window or had any idea of how Morandi’s room was furnished whereas for Matisse the environment in which his objects existed often formed an integral part of the composition.

Matisse used vibrant colours purposely to communicate emotion, something totally alien to Morandi’s simplified but more observation based still lives with their muted colours depicting simple vessels. Curiously, Morandi’s work does give us emotion, as a sense of calm unity pervades his work without seeming boring in any way. However for those seriously interested in colour Matisse offers continual inspiration.

Matisse leads us through compositions that rely less on form as revealed by light than by shape and the juxtaposition of colour. Objects become simplified and patterns exaggerated so that we see emotion celebrated through a more abstract way of seeing.

Here are a few photographs of objects chosen for their shape and colour with some rearrangements! which may give you a few ideas for setting up. My ‘photos don’t include glimpses from windows or interiors but you may have just such a setting for your composition.

This week the challenge is to arrange colourful objects that may be everyday and/or have have personal significance for you and then make a colourful still life composition, using colour and shape in the spirit of Matisse. Alternatively you are invited to make your own version of a still life by Matisse.

Your Paintings;