The Cut-Outs of Henri Matisse

by Henri Matisse and John Elderfield

Book Overview

With the simple technique of the paper cutout, Matisse revitalized his work and attained a form filtered to its essentials. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807608866
• ISBN13: 9780807608869
• Release Date: October 1978
• Publisher: George Braziller
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.6" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

The Beauty of Simplicity

This relatively modest book is nevertheless the single best work to have appeared on Matisse's great cut-outs (with the exception of a 1977 National Gallery of Art catalogue), which he made from 1947-1954. John Elderfield's essay discusses the genesis of the cut-outs, and places them in the context of 20th century art in an elegant manner which is refreshingly free of art-historical jargon. Elderfield's essay is followed by a section of color plates which, for the most part, are superbly designed and arranged. Matisse's delicious eye-candy is allowed to speak for itself. The reader is continually dazzled by the purity of color and simplicity of form, and the chronological arrangement of the plates seems to re-create the genesis of the works as they evolved in the artist's mind. However, the single problem I have with this otherwise nearly perfect book is that a number of the plates are far too small, particularly the illustration of the "Large Decoration With ! Masks," which reduces a 30-foot cut-out to the size of a postage stamp, neatly destroying any ability to imagine the beauty of the original work. Also, the color reproduction could be better - the plates, except in one particular print run I have come across, have an odd, bleached or washed-out look that lessens the impact of Matisse's colors. Nevertheless, I still recommend the book for its excellent design and writing. It is a marvelous introduction to the aesthetics behind some of the most simple yet beautiful works of 20th century art.