Years ago when my mother-in-law and I were both having some health problems I would tell her,
We’re doing the best we can with what we have left.
It’s still one of my favorite sayings, so I was fascinated when I read a charming children’s book entitled Drawing With Scissors, about how Matisse handled his fraility after a bout with cancer when he was 71.
Matisse had to lie in bed or sit in a wheelchair, so he could no longer paint the way he had before. That’s when he started doing his famous cut-paper collages, which he called “painting with scissors”. Many people think they were his greatest works, and he himself said they were the works that really represented who he was. He felt liberated and was grateful that he had survived the cancer and had 14 more productive years.
Here is a video showing him working:
And here is a longer video — about 56 minutes — describing his development as an artist and how he has influenced the modern world:
Here are a couple of short videos showing some of his works:
I cheerfully admit I’m fairly art-illiterate, so I learned a lot. And I’m impressed by Matisse’s flexibility and ingenuity in continuing to work in spite of his physical problems.
What about you? Have you ever had to work around handicaps?
In December 1980 I was diagnosed with bust hip joints. I was too young for total hip replacements as the prostheses available then were not long lasting ones. I had to wait till 1985 for the first replacement and 1987 for the second. I was in a grueling job involving a great deal of traveling and I was on the fast track. Quite how I managed is a mystery to me even now. Subsequently too, with both hips replaced, revised and re-revised, I have not stopped from being active and alive. The human spirit is often understated.
OMG! (Old expression but my feeling.) First Renoir, now Matisse. I’m thinking that exceptional, prolific painters don’t get enough exercise. They’re painting all day. I’m not bikehikebabe for nothing. But now I have to do the best I can with what I have left. I don’t have a lot left. That’s the hard part but I’m still plugging away.
Rummuser,
I thought of you and bikehikebabe when I wrote the question.
bikehikebabe,
Actually Renoir did exercise regularly until the rheumatoid arthritis got too bad. I don’t know about Matisse, but it’s doubtful that it had much bearing on his cancer.
Well, some of them are great. I think some of them show that he was learning (inevitable).
I love that Matisse made beautiful work. Not that popular among modern artists.
I’m fortunate that I don’t have any handicaps (as usually defined).
Matisse stuck to the beaux artes routine all his working life. Drawing in the morning. Painting in the afternoon. Sculpture at night. He worked and worked.
Evan,
I love the fact they’re pretty and make me want to play with colors and shapes. What’s your criteria for art being great? I don’t care if it’s good or bad, great or not great. For me the question is only does it move and inspire me or not.
For me it is about creativity and having something to say. Guernica isn’t beautiful but it is a great piece of art I think (apparently his wife or mistress at the time had a good deal of input – it is quite different to his other stuff around the same time).
In my view there is a difference between quality and taste.
It’s called “self-management” you find a way to work around whatever your problem is! I have spent around 50 years attending to mine…no medical professional seems to make any difference – or they have no idea where to refer me!
One medical sideline profession did suggest something, and it has helped in one way. Inside of falling sideways and twisting things, I now fall full length and munt knees, hands and usually something facial…so really that hasn’t helped!
I am about to see if I can link into the organisation that I was attached to (they still exist) when I was a child where somehow I fell through huge gap…with my feet/ankles. I hope that I can use them with my other problems with is at the end of my very long arms!
Sorry, I’m a bit angry at the moment with my aging disabilities that really are causing a headache as such…:-)
Evan,
You think some of Matisse’s work is great and some not. How do you decide which is which among his cutouts? And how do you decide when you’re looking at other modern art?
Cathy,
You certainly have my sympathy. Disabilities do tend to be even more challenging as we get older. I hope you can get some help.
In some ways the answer is the one given to John McEnroe when he wanted to start collecting modern art and wanted to know how to know what was good: Go look at 10,000 works of modern art. As you sit with a work responses emerge. And for some there is the perspective of the maker – this changes how a particular art is viewed.
It is possible to recognise creativity. ABBA and the BeeGees both work in the genre of pop but ABBA are far less formulaic and say a wider range of things even in the very limited constraints of pop. It is possible to see when a work hangs together (even one about dissonance).
And particular artists are better at some things than others. Picassos landscapes aren’t a patch on his human figure. Matisse got better at faces (ironically by making them more abstract). Picasso has a pretty standard foot in most of his stuff – it is the torsoes and heads that are so engaging. And it is possible to watch an artist develop and refine their techniques and say more with them.
We will have differing tastes. I think both Matisse and Picasso are extraordinarily good and both speak powerfully.
So I think we develop our taste and discernment of quality by trying stuff ourselves, looking at others stuff, noting our responses, reflecting on what evokes these responses.
I guess that’s a long answer, hope it makes sense.
Evan,
I’m afraid I’m still in the dark about which of Matisse’s cutouts you like and which you don’t. I have no desire to be an art critic. When I look at art I do notice what resonates with me and try to figure out why. And I am playing around with shapes and colors — and cartoons — to see what works for me and what doesn’t. So talking about “great” art is irrelevant to me. I will never produce anything great and it doesn’t matter in the least. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. It’s the immersion and discoveries that I care about.
Cool
oh monk!!!
thank you for the videos.
i have long loved matisse. as i said in your last post. he and renoir are my two favorite impressionists.
and of course i’m sure you guess why matisse… his simplicity and joy of spirit through color.
but what a treat ~ instead of just reading about him in books as i have ~ to get to stand at the window in collioure and then to walk through the museum in st petersburg and the victoria and albert museum ~ and finally the exquisite little chapel.
thank you!
my handicap of late is angina. really irritating. it seems the least bit of exertion brings it on. but it’s stable and only lasts about 4 minutes if i rest. boring old story.
i don’t want any more stents. cardiac arrest accompanied the last one. so am trying to do this with pills and meditation. 🙂
the summer heat and high humidity are not good. i’ll feel better in the fall!
are you going to do more of the impressionists? or other artists? it’s a grand series you’re giving us!
tammy,
I’m sorry about your angina, and about the summer heat there. I can understand why you don’t want another stent!
That ~56-minute Matisse video was long, but it blew me away.
I wasn’t planning on doing a series on artists — I did these two because of how they handled adversity. But I learned something about Jackson Pollack that tickled me so I will probably talk about him next week. It came from another children’s book. That’s just about my level. I had scarcely heard of Pollack until now. What’s the fun of writing a post unless you learn something from it?
ah! jackson pollack! the single most artist who probably inspires the single most comment “i could do that! just stand over a canvas and splatter paint all over it!” LOL.
looking forward to it.
no Tammy, not “splatter” – just throw paint and then throw anything else lying around including cigarette butts!
I have studied him in recent years through my Art History courses, yes he is bold enough to be remembered…
tammy,
Good for him if he inspires people to try it, or something, themselves!
Cathy,
I’m not about to try that in our apartment! He did make huge messes as he worked.
Jean: find yourself a very large box with high sides…in the bottom put some nice paper, suitable for paint…then put your paints in some very little pottles and then throw it all in – abandon yourself to the process…
You paper at the bottom will be great, as will the sides of your large carton/box – all of which will make great art – Jean-style…
I remember some artists saying that often the protective paper becomes part of another very interesting artwork…I’ve used some of mine from time to time.
Had a busy glueing day today; 9 pieces still WIP so maybe tomorrow I will load some on my blog; later when they are more formulated…
Cathy,
That’s a great idea! I’ll try it the next time I get a large enough box. Although they say part of the appeal of Pollock was that his pictures were so large.
When I was checking the spelling I came across this painter. I am not about to try that! How gross!
yuk to the “painter you found”
but what about doing something outside, on a fine day, maybe up at your forest place…lay out a large drop sheet and then put something large on top – maybe a bit sheet of plywood – and go for it 🙂 you could throw some wet clay/soil at it as well or something else that will create colour – except the yukky idea as you have found 🙂
Cathy,
I think I’ll try the box idea first. I want things that are easy to dispose of. I do love hearing offbeat ideas. At the moment I have colored markers/pens/pencils, watercolor pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, both soluble and regular, etc. So I have plenty to play with. My Klutz book had me try splattering, but I like scribbling better. I’m back to kindergarten!
I love shapes and lettering, so Matisse inspires me more than Pollock to try things myself.
Cathy,
Here’s a gal that’s hooked on brightly colored spray paint— for livening up objects: http://www.everythingetsy.com/2010/10/stuck-on-spray-paint/