Henri Matisse (18691954) was a fighting spirit.
Despite a cancer diagnosis in 1941, increasing frailty, and the confines of a wheelchair, the indomitable Frenchman never stopped in his quest to make art.
With what he called une seconde vie, a second life, he embarked on a remarkable collage period, cutting and pasting pieces of colored paper into gouaches dcoupes of birds, plants, flowers, and the female form.Emphasizing color and contrast, the cutout technique generated both striking lines and vivid juxtapositions.
In works such as Icarus (1943), The Blue Nude (1952), The Snail (1953), and The Sheaf (1953), clean forms and elemental structures power a compositional force that belies the works decorative appeal, at once tightly organized and infectious with joie de vivre.
As his work progressed, Matisses excitement with his results fueled everlarger pieces, advancing from small works to vast wallsized murals.As his final years approached, Matisse reveled in the simplicity and brilliance of these pieces, avowing, Only what I created after the illness constitutes my real self: free, liberated In this essential introductory book, we revisit this joyful final chapter of Matisses long and prodigious career, examining how the cutouts encapsulated the artists many years exploring the possibilities of composition, form, and color.About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the bestselling art book collection ever published.
Each book in TASCHENs Basic Art series features:a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importancea concise biographyapproximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
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