Matisse – Colour and Pattern within Shapes

Henri Matisse - Reader on a Black Background - 1939 - 92 x 74 cm

I would like to engage further with the wonderful movement Matisse provides, both with colour and with his sophisticated use of pattern within shapes.

Let’s begin with colour.   When we focus on a colour we intuitively take in the same colour else-where in the composition.   This creates movement which Matisse orchestrates through scale and placement, like musical notes, determining lyrical engagement.

For example, when we look at the blue rectangles, we also sense the blues in the bouquet, as well as the vertical in the white rectangle at the right edge of the painting.  Do you feel the circular movement?   The little notes of blue on her shoes ensure we are not held in a tight area at the right of the composition, and instead bring us gently to the left, to engage with the wonderful movement through the warms of the figure and the small notes above and to the right.   The same goes for the other colours as well.  I should note that the temperature of the colours is also a factor in movement as we connect the orange with the red shapes Matisse provides the lyrical harmony through using shape motifs.

Another great consideration is using patterns within shapes.  In other words, not permitting the complexity of the subject to disrupt the harmonious relationships of the shapes.   In the bouquet, Matisse does this beautifully by treating it as an oval containing an arrangement of smaller ovals.   The two white oval shapes containing the pattern of yellow ovals and grey markings (which match the line drawings) are a great example of pattern within shapes.  Even the light grey areas in the bouquet with the blue markings read as ovals.

These are considerations used by many artists and Matisse did it better than anyone.

Bonnard – (Temperature)

Pierre Bonnard - The Vigil - 1921 - 96 x 125 cm - 38 x 51 in - oil on canvas

One terrific way to provide unity and harmony is to restrict your palette, so your composition will have either a cool or warm feeling.

Bonnard does this in this delightful warm painting, and the viewer immediately responds to the temperature.  We are then directed through the painting by very interesting considerations and I’m sure Bonnard is intentionally pushing our sense of harmony.

The strength of the striped half oval at the left is dominating almost to the point of disharmony and his solutions are very impressive. The two yellow stripes on the baby’s blanket. (she seems to be comforting a baby)   We can’t help moving from the semi circle to the yellow cushion on the chair, and then to those two marvelous stripes.  Do you feel their strength and how they balance the composition?  They also direct us to the yellow partial oval at the upper left, which has a wonderful dark line taking us back to the striped tablecloth.  Brilliant!

I should also point out the dark shapes at the left which hold us in the composition as well as the wonderful oval motif.  Also note the the darkish shape with subtle stripes (very important) between the chairs, connecting the dog’s gaze with the mother and her baby.

We stay with the dog’s vigil, which of course is what Bonnard wants the us to enjoy.  The sophistication of the composition permits this.