'Matisse, Drawing with scissors' exhibition is under way.
In 1939 Matisse was aged 70, a divorce was forcing his artwork into store while French lawyers argued, he was seriously ill and probably not very happy. By 1943 with war all around sickness still serious and who knows if the lawyers had finished as yet he took scissors and paper and cut out a figure of a man. Adding a red heart he called this the 'Fall of Icarus,' read into that what you will.
He then went on to develop his scissors, paper and paint work and instead of dying as doctors said he should continued his work until he died in 1954.
The museum has an array of his work to temp the art lovers of the town, though most appear to be coming from elsewhere, and I had four who travelled in on Tuesday just for the exhibition. It made a change from dead soldiers anyway.
I am not sure what any of us think about this. I only had a short look yesterday while setting up my area and while the colours are pretty it is not something I would travel to see. Not that I would travel for much this man produced, to much late 19th and early 20th century modernism in his work, 'modernism' being another word for 'meaningless' in my mind all too often. It has not set the staffs heather on fire but as long as folks come and see we will be happy.
Our lass has been going around the schools and the kids have produced these frames which I think are better, and more colourful, than the old man's work. They mean as much and probably brought the kids more enjoyment than that achieved by Matisse in his workshop.
This has to do with Christmas...
