Henri Matisse, L’Escargot (The Snail)

I really dig this L’Escargot collage, by Henri Matisse. I’m calling it a collage, even though I’m not sure it’s proper. It’s a combination of decoupage with goache paint. I love the geometric shapes, the colors and the texture.

The multi-talented Matisse was a painter, sculptor and a designer. He was prolific well into his 80s. As he got older. he did a lot of cut outs, which seems counter-intuitive. It would seem harder to use scissors as one ages, but he obviously had no problem with it.

He began his career as a lawyer and used art as a means to recover. He dug the Impressionists, but quickly went his own way. He was laughed at and accused of being a fauve [a wild beast], because of his extensive use of bright colors. But instead of letting it get him down, he created his own brand and became one of the most pivotal artists of post-impressionism.

But he was probably too busy to listen to any naysayers.

#art, #artist, #artpodcast, #arthistory, #fauvism, #design, #color, #inspiration, #postimpressionism

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