Seurat, Matisse and Picasso

I chose the video “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” because I have always loved that painting and wanted to learn more about it. The first time I have ever laid my eyes on it was while watching the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  The other video that I chose was “Matisse and Picasso” because I wanted to know more about these two painters and really didn’t know that they had such a close relationship with each other.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884

George Seurat took two years to finish this painting. At one point he painted over the entire work. There are 8 people, 3 boats, 8 dogs and 1 monkey portrayed in this painting. The painting is huge; its size is 2m x 3m. Its home is in the Art Institute of Chicago. The painter was very much a loaner and only one photo had been taken of him. He was very secretive but conventional, taking up classical art education. The island was a place where people of different classes mixed. This was also a place where prostitution took place. There is a debate of whether or not the woman fishing is a prostitute or not. The monkey portrayed in this work is noticed by everyone who views it. A monkey must have appealed to Seurat because it can be found in many of his sketchbooks. X-rays review that the monkey was added at a later date toward the end of the painting creation. There are many bourgeoisie portrayed in their different attire. This painting was completed using his pointillism technique. Seurat went everyday for 6 months to the Island, sketching and painting at different times but from the same vantage point. Throughout the studies characters came and went placing the figures in different areas. After spending 10 months on the canvas his work originally would have been finished in an impressionist’s style. His early version was never exhibited. He then painted over the canvas using his new technique. He discovered that colors appear darker or lighter depending upon what colors are contrasted near them. He re-painted the work using dots, dashes of color over the entire piece. Seurat believed that the color contrast of the dots at a certain distance to one another would dance in the viewer’s eye. Every dot and brush stroke is very rich in color. There are inconsistencies throughout the painting, puffs of white, inconsistent scale and the triangular shape which all could be because his studio was too small to view the work from any distance. The little girl in white is the only figure looking at us and is not covered in dots. Her presence could have to do with the times color theory or represent fashion in some way. His work is very reminiscent of Egyptian art/sculptures which could have been viewed by him in the Louvre. Impressionists did not want his painting displayed near there’s so it was set apart from other works during an exposition in 1886. This painting was largely ignored by the press. His career as an artist only lasted a short 10 years. He was seen as a great loss to the art world. This painting was purchased for $20k and brought to Chicago. They refused a $400k bid from the French to get the painting back. In 1958 it was lent to The Museum of Modern art in NY. The museum caught on fire but the painting was rescued from the fire and was never lent out again. This painting has been reproduced in many art forms, drawings, painting, Broadway and movies. The painting seems deeply embedded in common lore. Its meaning still remains elusive till today.

Matisse and Picasso

Both artists had broken away from tradition when it came to their art. Picasso was a child prodigy whose father was a painter and drawing teacher. Matisse, son of a corn merchant was not aware of his talent until later in life. Gertrude Stein is the first to recognize the greatness of the two artists and insisted they meet. Matisse is deliberate and organized in his thoughts. Picasso is a worker, impulsive and immerses himself in his paintings. When the two meet there is no clash, just an exchange of ideas and paintings. The two have mutual respect for one another. In 1912 Picasso invents the first collage imitating the cane work of a chair. The beginning of WWI does not slow down the artists. They continue on with their work. In 1918 a joint exposition is opened in Paris. Paris is the inspiration for Matisse. Matisse left his wife and 3 children at age 50 and went to live in Nice, France. In Paris during the early 20s, Picasso’s life is turned upside down. He marries and turns back to the classical style of painting because of his wife’s views. Matisse is now living in Nice 8 months out of the year and is fascinated with nudes and fabric. Picasso parodies Matisse’s Odalisques to provoke him and to distract himself from his horrible wife whom he cannot stand. Matisse travels to NY in 1930 and is treated like a star. He was given the Carnegie Prize. Picasso doesn’t travel or leave his studio. Unlike Matisse, ¾ of the content of Picasso’s painting does not exist outside of his works. He doesn’t use a pallet or easel, he simply uses newspapers. For Matisse the painting season would bring anxiety and fear. The only objects that interest Picasso are the worthless ones. Both artists are painters of women. Matisse needs models to sit for him where Picasso does not. Matisse chooses dark Latin models. Picasso has a new Nordic beauty who is his muse. A sleeping woman awakens both Picasso and Matisse. Matisse would work all day and then rub the panting out at night. His model would photograph the progression of his works. Picasso would paint over his original work. There could be 30 paintings under the final work. During WWII both artists ended up staying in Occupied France. Picasso’s paintings seem evil and violent during this time. Matisse changes nothing in his painting technique. Picasso is Matisse’s brother in anguish. Picasso fathers two children at the age of 70 with Francoise Gilot (His model). Matisse is unable to paint any longer because of his fight with cancer and old age. He starts to create collages instead of painting. Picasso begins to explore ceramics during this time. Picasso would go and visit Matisse in Nice. The bedroom was the setting for these meetings. They would discuss their dissimilarities rather than similarities. The studied each other’s painting and learned to do the opposite. Matisse devotes four years of his life to designing The Vence Chapel. He introduces immensity into such a small space using light. Picasso undertakes his own chapel. They give each other strange gifts almost mockingly. Matisse was fascinated by Picasso’s new painting, Winters Landscape and kept it across from his bed. Matisse died in 1954 and Picasso did not attend the funeral. He took Matisse’s death very hard because he was almost like a son to Matisse. 

I enjoyed both of these videos, it was nice that both videos were not dry like so many others that we sometime view. The videos definitely shed some light on Seurat, Matisse and Picasso. I like how the videos go more in depth into what drove the painters and what their art symbolized. I had no idea that Picasso and Matisse were friends and seemed to work off of each other for so many years.