How Matisse Revolutionized Color In Art
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the revolutionary use of color by French artist Henri Matisse, tracing his journey from traditional paintings like 'The Dinner Table' (1896) to his bold Fauvist works like 'Open Window' (1905) and 'Dance' (1910). The public and critics initially rejected Matisse's vibrant, emotional use of color, but collectors like the Steins and Sergey Shchukin recognized his genius. The video highlights Matisse's defiance of artistic norms, his evolution in style, and how his innovative approach to color reshaped modern art. It concludes with an appreciation of his legacy and influence on 20th-century painting.
Takeaways
- 🎨 The two paintings by Henri Matisse, 'The Dinner Table' (1896) and 'Open Window, Collioure' (1905), show a dramatic evolution in his use of color.
- 🖌️ Matisse's painting style evolved from more traditional, representational colors in the 1890s to bold, expressive use of color in the early 1900s.
- 😲 Matisse's 'Dance' (1910) was initially met with public outrage, drawing harsh criticism at the 1910 Autumn Salon in Paris.
- 🤬 Many of Matisse's works, including 'Open Window' and 'Woman with a Hat,' were mocked by the public and critics in 1905.
- 🐾 The term 'Fauvism' came from critic Louis Vauxcelles, who disparaged Matisse and his peers as 'wild beasts' for their revolutionary use of color.
- 🏖️ Matisse’s trip to Corsica in 1898 was a turning point, where he started to explore the emotional and personal use of color, inspired by the Impressionists.
- 🔵 By 1904, Matisse’s colors exploded, with his painting 'Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness' embodying his departure from representational colors.
- 📐 The influence of Neo-Impressionism and Divisionism, particularly from Paul Signac, helped Matisse develop his own unique style of color expression.
- 💥 Matisse described color as 'sticks of dynamite,' liberating it to express emotion rather than simply depicting reality.
- 💃 Matisse’s painting 'Dance' used simple colors and forms to express energy and primal movement, a radical departure from traditional Western art.
Q & A
What is the name of the painting on the left in the video?
-The painting on the left is called 'The Dinner Table'.
In which year was 'The Dinner Table' painted?
-The painting 'The Dinner Table' was painted in 1896.
What is the name of the painting on the right in the video?
-The painting on the right is called 'Open Window, Cure'.
How did the public react to Matisse's painting 'Dance' when it was first exhibited?
-The public reacted negatively to Matisse's painting 'Dance', with many shouting insults, jeering, laughing, and mocking at it.
What was the term used by critic Louis Vauxcelles to describe Matisse and other painters who used color in a new way?
-Critic Louis Vauxcelles referred to Matisse and other painters who used color in a new way as 'wild beasts' or 'fauves' in French.
What style of painting was born from Matisse's and other artists' use of color?
-The style of painting born from Matisse's and other artists' use of color was Fauvism.
What is the significance of the painting 'Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness' in Matisse's career?
-The painting 'Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness' is significant as it represents a point where Matisse's colors exploded and he began to use large areas of uniform color to compose scenes expressing deep, primal feelings and rhythms.
Who were some of the collectors that supported Matisse during his experimental period?
-American Sarah Stein and her in-laws Leo and Gertrude Stein, as well as Russian businessman Sergey Shchukin, supported Matisse during his experimental period.
What was the influence of Paul Signac's divisionism on Matisse's work?
-Paul Signac's divisionism, which involved applying scientific color theories and using small dots of contrasting colors on the canvas to create more luminous colors optically, influenced Matisse's work, allowing him to use color in a more rebellious and expressive way.
How did Matisse's use of color evolve over time?
-Matisse's use of color evolved from using non-naturalistic colors to generate an emotional response to later using color to define form itself, influenced by Sezan, Gauguin, African, and Islamic Art, resulting in flatter, simplified, more abstract paintings with large areas of uniform color.
What was the public's reaction to Matisse's painting 'The Joy of Life'?
-The public's reaction to Matisse's painting 'The Joy of Life' was intense laughter and derision, similar to their reaction to his earlier Fauvist paintings.
Outlines
🎨 The Bold Use of Color in Matisse’s Work
The first paragraph introduces two desaturated paintings by Henri Matisse: 'The Dinner Table' (1896) and 'Open Window' (1905). The narrator asks the audience to reflect on the expected colors of these works, then transitions to Matisse’s controversial use of color in a 1910 painting of dancers, which shocked viewers at its debut. Matisse’s bold use of color often drew ridicule from critics and audiences alike. For example, his paintings at the 1905 Autumn Salon—including 'Open Window' and 'Woman with a Hat'—received harsh criticism, earning Matisse and his fellow artists the derogatory title of 'wild beasts' or 'Fauves,' leading to the term 'Fauvism.' Despite public mockery, Matisse began developing his revolutionary use of color in the late 1890s during his time in Corsica, where he began experimenting with the emotional and non-representational aspects of color, as seen in works like 'The Old Mill.'
🖌️ Matisse’s Evolution in Color and Form
The second paragraph focuses on Matisse’s artistic evolution, where he moved beyond using color purely for emotional impact and began using it to define form. Influenced by artists such as Cézanne and non-Western art, Matisse created simplified, abstract works that expressed primal emotions. A key example is his famous painting 'Dance,' commissioned by Russian collector Sergei Shchukin in 1909. In this painting, Matisse employed a striking color palette of blue, green, and vibrant red to depict a dynamic, rhythmic dance. Although initially met with disdain, Matisse’s groundbreaking work gained appreciation over time, as he continued to push the boundaries of art by prioritizing personal expression over objective representation. This paragraph ends with a reflection on the lasting impact of Matisse’s innovative approach to color in modern art.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Desaturated
💡Henri Matisse
💡Fauvism
💡Autumn Salon
💡Impressionism
💡Pointillism
💡Luxury, Calm, and Voluptuousness
💡Subjectivity
💡Sarah Stein
💡The Joy of Life
💡Abstraction
Highlights
The left painting, 'The Dinner Table' by Henri Matisse, was created in 1896, while the right one, 'Open Window, Collioure,' was painted a decade later in 1905.
Matisse's shift in color usage is dramatic between 'The Dinner Table' and 'Open Window,' showing a clear departure from conventional color representation.
The public and critics strongly rejected Matisse’s painting 'Dance' when it debuted in 1910 at the Autumn Salon in Paris, receiving mockery and insults.
Critic Louis Vauxcelles labeled Matisse and other artists as 'wild beasts,' or 'fauves,' in 1905, giving birth to the term 'Fauvism' for their revolutionary use of color.
Matisse’s exploration of color began as early as 1898 during his stay in Corsica, where he experimented with the emotional potential of color in painting.
Matisse began to free color from its traditional representational role, as seen in works like 'The Old Mill' and his impressionist-inspired 'Dinner Table.'
In 1904, Matisse's colors 'exploded' during his summer in Saint-Tropez, producing one of his most famous works, 'Luxe, Calme et Volupté.'
Matisse was influenced by neo-impressionist Paul Signac and the divisionism technique, which used small dots of contrasting colors to create luminous effects.
Though Matisse's work initially followed the divisionist style, he quickly forged his own path, making his colors less representational and more anarchic.
In 1905, Matisse painted 'Open Window, Collioure,' marking the beginning of his Fauvist period, using color in a more expressive, subjective way.
Matisse’s later paintings became flatter, more abstract, and used broad areas of uniform color to express primal emotions and rhythms.
Matisse's artistic philosophy involved rejecting Western objectivity and embracing a conscious subjectivity rooted in personal visual and emotional responses.
Though heavily criticized by the French art establishment, Matisse was supported by collectors like Sarah Stein, Leo and Gertrude Stein, and Russian businessman Sergei Shchukin.
In 1909, Shchukin commissioned Matisse to create two large panels, one of which became the iconic 'Dance,' a vibrant representation of energy and movement.
Matisse’s painting 'Dance' is characterized by just three colors—blue, green, and shocking scarlet—that vibrantly express dynamic movement.
Matisse’s color revolution altered the course of modern art, and his influence became clear only with the perspective of time, as color was never the same after his bold innovations.
Transcripts
okay so here are two desaturated
paintings by the French artist HRI matis
the left one is called the dinner table
and was painted in 1896 and the right
one is called open window cure and was
painted a decade later in 1905 what do
you think the colors are like in the
first one the one on the left does that
match your expectation I bet it does now
what about the other painting this view
of boats from an open window is that
what you expected okay what about this
painting from 5 years later in 1910 of
dancers are those really the colors that
you thought you were going to see if not
you're not the only one on October 1st
1910 matis debuted this painting called
dance at the Autumn Salon in Paris and
to say that it wasn't well received is
an understatement a few critics
applauded the boldness of the painting
but most attacked it savagely and the
public was no kind they crowded in front
of the massive canvas and shouted
insults at it jeering laughing mocking
unfortunately this was not new for matis
5 years earlier at the Autumn Salon of
1905 he exhibited a number of paintings
that got a similar response including
this one open window from before and
this one woman with a hat the critic
Louis Vel disparaged matis and the other
painters who were using colors in
Revolutionary new ways as wild beasts or
foes in French and that was how how fism
was born well that was how the name was
born anyway the style of painting was
born in the mind of matis and ausf
filiation of other artists as early as
1898 when matis was in Corsica with his
wife he began gradually to lean into the
dramatic power of color in a painting
like the Old Mill for example you can
see him taking the lessons of the
impressionist using short Strokes of
Pure unblended Color to capture the
flickering transient quality of the
light but also liberating that color so
that it's not strictly representational
but emotional and personal I mean look
at the difference between this painting
and the dinner table from the beginning
of this video look at the difference
that two years can make in 1902 he
pushed the colors even further away from
representation in his paintings of the
Luxembourg Gardens and by 1904 when he
was spending the summer at St Trope a
coastal fishing Village in southern
France mati's colors exploded the most
important painting to come out of that
trip is this one the Gulf of sent Trope
which he reworked when he returned to
Paris into one of his most famous
paintings luxury calm and voluptuousness
see in centrope matis was joined by Paul
syak one of the leaders of
neo-impressionism who applied scientific
color theories to the technique of the
Impressionists and developed a style
where you put small dots of contrasting
colors on the canvas and when the viewer
stands at a distance the dots mix
optically and generate more luminous
colors sync's theory is called
divisionism and the technique is called
pointalism I know too many isms the most
famous execution of this style you
probably know is George Shaz a Sunday
afternoon on the island of lran shat now
going back to maa's painting you can
clearly see the influence of Sak and
divisionism but you can also feel matis
forging his own path his colors are
rebelling against their subjects the
painting is anarchic Fantastical it's p
ING with wild energy the next summer in
1905 matis followed that energy to cure
another fishing Village in southern
France and let loose colors became
sticks of dynamite he said and then
detonated them across his canvases and
then those canvases detonated the 1905
Salon where he was labeled a wild beast
now the reaction really isn't surprising
even now more than a century later these
paintings still retain their defiant
power the colors still sing with the
Dare ing the creative recklessness of
that summer as Hillary Sperling says
matis was attempting to overturn a way
of seeing evolved and accepted by the
Western World for centuries he was
substituting for their illusion of
objectivity a conscious subjectivity a
20th century art that would draw its
validity essentially from the painter's
own Visual and emotional responses the
critics didn't appreciate what matis was
doing but thankfully a few collectors
did namely the American Sarah Stein and
and her in-laws Leo and gertrud Stein as
well as the Russian businessman Sergey
shukin shukin was at the salon of
Independence in 1906 where he saw mati's
Joy Of Life a painting that senyak hated
and that the public laughed at with even
greater intensity than they did at the
first Fus paintings just a few months
before shukin though he was mesmerized
for the next decade he gave matis
financial and moral support while the
French art establishment derided him
during arguably his most experimental I
think most exciting period you see in
his Fest years matis used
non-naturalistic colors to generate an
emotional response but after this he
learned how to use color to Define form
itself influenced by seisan by gato by
African and Islamic Art his new
paintings were flatter simplified more
abstract and used large areas of uniform
color to compose scenes not of real life
not even of real life transformed by new
colors but scenes that Express deep
Primal feelings and rhythms in 1909
shukin commissioned two giant panels to
be hung in his Moscow Mansion matis
wanted one of them to express energy and
above all movement he remembered a scene
from kalor in 1905 when Catalan
fisherman pulled him into a dancing ring
and whipped him around violently on the
beach a verion of this memory can be
found in the joy of life but now matis
endeavored to recapture this the scene
with a new style and new tools the
result is dance a masterpiece of energy
consisting of just three colors blue
green and the shocking Scarlet of the
naked dancing leaping spinning figures
who are less like people than
mythological Saturns that red vibrates
off the background and captures exactly
the movement matis intended it took him
almost a year to make this painting and
the public hated it I guess that's the
way it goes sometimes you can't expect
the instantaneous acceptance of
something radically new if it was
accepted it wouldn't be radical with the
perspective of a century knowing the
directions that Modern Art went in we
now can appreciate the full significance
of maa's work we can be shocked by it
without being scandalized we can Marvel
at the creative distance that he
traveled in just 14 years after which
color was never the
same hey everybody thank you so much for
watching this episode was brought to you
by Squarespace the all-in-one website
platform for entrepreneurs to stand out
and succeed online whether you're just
starting out or managing a growing brand
Squarespace makes it easy to create a
beautiful website and now you can make a
completely personalized website with
design intelligence combining two
decades of industry-leading design
expertise with cuttingedge AI technology
to unlock your strongest creative
potential and if you're selling
something Squarespace payments makes
that easy too it's compatible with
popular payment methods like Clara a
direct debit Apple pay afterpay and
clear pay basically a Squarespace site
looks and feels professional something
that will impress all your customers and
fans head over to squarespace.com for a
free trial and when you're ready to
launch go to squarespace.com nerd riter
for 10% off your first purchase thanks
guys I'll see you next time
関連動画をさらに表示
SmART Talk: Modern Art vs Contemporary Art
Camille and Claude Monet
Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night: Great Art Explained
Marcel Duchamp: The radical artist who changed the course of art | The Mix
How ancient art influenced modern art - Felipe Galindo
Color Theory and Wes Anderson's Style — Sad Characters in a Colorful World
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)