Matisse: Cut-outs

by Henri Matisse

Towards the end of his monumental career as a painter, sculptor, and lithographer, an elderly, sickly Matisse was unable to stand and use a paintbrush for a longer period of time. In this late phase of his life―he was almost 80 years of age―he developed the technique of ‘carving into color’, creating bright, bold paper cut-outs. Though dismissed by some contemporary critics as the folly of a senile old man, these gouaches decoupées (gouache cut-outs) in fact represented a revolution in modern art, a whole new medium that re-imagined the age-old conflict between color and line. This fresh, standard TASCHEN edition of the first volume of our original prize-winning XL book provides a thorough historical context to Matisse’s cut-outs, tracing their roots in his 1930 trip to Tahiti, through to his final years in Nice. It includes many photos of Matisse, some rare images, by Henri Cartier-Bresson and the filmmaker F.W. Murnau and text from Matisse, publisher E. Tériade, the poets Louis Aragon, Henri Michaux, and Pierre Reverdy, and Matisse’s son-in-law, Georges Duthuit. In their deceptive simplicity, the cut-outs achieved both a sculptural quality and an early minimalist abstraction which would profoundly influence generations of artists to come. Exuberant, multi-hued, and often grand in scale, these works are true pillars of 20th century art, and as bold and innovative to behold today as they were in Matisse’s lifetime.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Art and Photography

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Although he was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.

Reviews

[Peter White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good artwork but relentlessly hagiographic text became tiresome.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review of an artist's work.

I found this book interesting, some of the artworks were good especially as they were done using paper and scissors.

Overall rating 3.5.

Reading time around ninety minutes.

[thaís bambozzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Os trabalhos com recortes são fantásticos! O livro traz muitas imagens e certamente este é o ponto alto. Deixa bastante a desejar no que diz respeito à análise dos temas explorados pelo artista.

[aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wish there were more matisses's diary entries or letters rather than vague abstract pieces on his cosmic genius. and his works's layout in the edition i have is quite weird

[Dafni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way it's written is a bit tiring. But it's also very informative and interesting.

[Jgrace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matisse - Cut-Outs - Neret
3 stars

Nothing equals seeing the real thing. I miss art museums….sigh. There’s some interesting commentary about Matisse and the creation of the cut outs, but nothing that I couldn’t read online. This was an impulse buy from a bargain table and that’s about right.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What one artist can do with gauche, paper and scissors -- it's extraordinary. The MOMA's exhibit (runs through early 2015) is amazing. The scale of some of the pieces (and rich colors) is challenging in print. This collection is one I look at a few times a year.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly wonderful color plates showing the marvelous cut outs of Matisse. I love the art!