Henri Matisse – Still Life With a Purro (II), 1904
A hot fiery, beautiful riot of exploding frenzied colour that assaults and stimulates the brain and eye. Colour and emotion dominate the subverted still-live that slashes across the lower half of the painting and is used as a crutch to allow the colour to break free from the perceived normality of the world. Colour is set free, unshackled from merely describing an object.
This is what Fauvism and Matisse at the beginning of the 20th century brought to the world.
We can make out a still life on a tabletop, a French cruch (a semi-glazed terracotta water jug), crumpled fabric, a Spanish-style drinking vessel with a conical spout, a plate of fruit and a cup. We can imagine other indistinct objects but this is not a puzzle or a game of identification but a jaw-dropping pulsating energy of light and colour a melee of short dabs of pure colour making a bold statement on modernity and art.
Engaging with and understanding how great art is composed and develops is a crucial and most satisfying endeavour. Talking Art is about introducing people to the process of reading and understanding the paintings we love.
If you would like to get involved with understanding and appreciating paintings I will offer a free informal chat on Zoom, FB Messenger or WhatsApp with no obligations.
LOVE ART, LOVE LIFE.
TALKING ART with Paul Woods Telephone – 920551657
Website – www.paulwoods.eu
Email – genesis3@live.co.uk
