Overview
Few artists have explored genres and techniques with such curiosity and pleasure as Henri Matisse, whose fascination with the relationship between interior and exterior forms occupied him throughout his career. In the early 1950s, he chose to dedicate his last years to the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence and the nursery school in his hometown of Le Cateau-Cambrésis, both in the South of France. These sites represent a culmination of all Matisse's earlier visual and spatial explorations.This book sheds new light on the development of Matisse's oeuvre, which spans some 60 years. Lavishly illustrated with almost 400 images, this deluxe volume includes beautiful reproductions of the artist's most famous paintings paired with lesser-known documents and photographs culled from the archives of his estate. The authors also gathered first-hand accounts related by numerous participants in the Vence and Le Cateau projects. The result is a fascinating, almost day-to-day look at Matisse's process as he created these works, and an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.
Author Bio: The late René Percheron was head of the museum of national antique art in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, and a lecturer on the history of art and photography. Christian Brouder is a researcher at CNRS, the national organization for scientific research in Paris.
Synopsis
Stained-glass windows designed by Matisse line the walls of two buildings in the south of France: the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, and the nursery school in his hometown of Le Cateau-Cambresis. He was fully engaged in these architectural achievements, but they stand in the shadow of acclaim for his paintings. Matisse's architectural ideas and the evolution of his design technique are the focus of this beautifully produced book (10x13"), which offers a close look at his paintings and cutouts and how they connect with his architectural projects. First-hand accounts from participants in the two projects offer detailed insight into the artist's process and approach. Some 400 images of paintings, photos, and the two buildings support the text. Art historian Rene Percheron nurtured the idea for this book over three decades having become excited by the chapel in the 1970s while writing an article about the town; he collaborated with a cousin, Christian Brouder, a scientist. The book was probably published in French (the title page indicates a translator), but publication details are not cited. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Library Journal
In the later years of his incredible life, Matisse turned to paper cutouts, interior decoration, stained glass, and even costume and set designs. While this impressive book gives an overview of his career in many media, it focuses on two major spatial projects: the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence (1948-51) and the lesser-known Les Abeilles window in the playroom of his namesake nursery school in his hometown of Le Cateau (1951-54). Percheron and Brouder deftly and vividly relate Matisse's sensitivity to light and color in space to harmonies between interiors and exteriors as manifested in his paintings. The paper cutouts are viewed as precursors to his stained-glass designs. Intensive scholarship on the two architectural projects incorporates almost day-to-day documentary evidence with personal accounts by people who worked with and knew Matisse during their creation. In keeping with the beauty of its subjects, the work is impeccably, even reverentially presented in a slipcase and printed on heavy white paper. Text blocks are well spaced and give the nearly 400 reproductions and photographs (many full-page plates and details) ample room to breathe. First published in France in 2002, this important addition to Matisse criticism and literature is highly recommended for academic and museum collections.-Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.