Matisse and More

Thursday May 28 was yet another hot, sunny day.  High of 32C.  

We took the Metro to the Grand Palais to see the Matisse. 1941-1954 exhibit.

Fashion and dogs in the Metro

There was a small photographic exhibit in the République Metro station where we had a transfer.  Arles, Les Rencontres de la Photographie presented Modèle animal, 200 ans de photographie.

Poster for the exhibit

Perfect chien Français looking out the window 

We arrived at the entrance to the exhibit.  We already had our tickets and were able to enter the exhibit at our appointed time of 11:30 a.m.

Entrance to the exhibit

The exhibition Matisse. 1941-1954 sheds light on the final years of Henri Matisse's (1869-1954) career through more than 300 works- paintings, drawings, cut-out gouaches, illustrated books, and stained glass- from the Centre Pompidou collection and major international loans. It reveals the multidisciplinary scope of his practice during this period, while bringing together an exceptional group of cut-out gouaches.

In 1941, having undergone an operation that nearly cost his life, Matisse felt like he was entering a 'second life'.  This would be a time of renewed creativity for him right until his death in 1954.  Never before had he been so prolific in the variety of techniques and media he used.   There was a quote from Matisse near the entrance of the exhibit:  "I had so completely prepared for my exit from life that it seems to me that I am in a second life."

At nearly eighty years old, Matisse reinvented himself through the medium of the cut-out gouache- 'which he elevated into an autonomous visual language'. The exhibition shows 'how painting remains at the heart of his approach, far from being supplanted by cut-outs- it unfolds with ever greater space, intensity and colour'.   The exhibit was 'conceived as a journey through the painter's universe'.  

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, 1941

Matisse was over 70 when WWII broke out, but decided to stay in France, despite several invitations to go to the United States.  Considered a degenerate artist by the Nazis, he continued to work during the war but refused to exhibit.  His refusal to take a stand- led him to be labelled initially as a hedonistic bourgeois who stood aloof from the events of history.  However, his decision to stay in France gradually turned him into a symbol of freedom.  The war also affected him personally when he learned in April 1944 that his wife and daughter, who had joined the resistance without his knowledge, had been arrested by the Gestapo.  His wife, Amelie, was sent to Fresnes prison and his daughter, Marguerite, was tortured and deported before being freed in August.  

At the end of the war, Matisse took centre stage once agin during the Salon d'Automne in Paris.  The French state acquired seven paintings for the reopening of the Musée National d'Art Moderne and an exhibition at Galerie Maeght in 1945, cemented his reputation as a 'figure of peace'.

The Romanian Blouse was displayed alongside ten transitional stages-- showing Matisse's creative process.  'When I work', wrote Matisse, 'it's really like a kind of perpetual cinema."

Transitional stages of The Romanian Blouse.

The Romanian Blouse, 1940--- colours inspired by the French flag 'convey a sense of optimism, if not patriotism, and were a way of resisting the dark atmosphere of the time'.

Tulips and Oysters on Black Background, 1943.  In 1944, Matisse gave this painting to Pablo Picasso who had just bought one of his still lifes.  This gift, which took place almost 40 years after their first swap, was a sign of the mutual respect they had for each other.

Black Philodendron and Lemons, 1943

Still Life with Shell, 1940.  Matisse pinned cut-out shapes of the objects and fruits he wanted to use to compose a still life.  String could also be moved and was used to represent the marble tray on which the components stood and helped structure the space.  Apart from the use of scissors, this approach had no direct connection with the gouache cut-out technique that he would develop later.

Sun-striped Interior, 1942.  

Two Young Girls in a Blue, Interior, Red Window, 1947.  The window- one of Matisse's quintessential subjects- allows him to play with the distinction between interior and exterior and the contrast between light and dark.

In early 1942, Louis Aragon, the French poet, had taken refuge in Nice when he met Matisse. It was the start of a friendship and a series of meetings that took place three or four times a week until the end of March, during which conversation alternated with portrait sitting sessions.  Matisse produced four charcoal portraits of the writer and 34 pen and ink variations.  A publication Dessins. Thèmes et variations (Drawings. Themes and variations, 1943) resulted.  Aragon wrote the preface and in it he celebrated a man he saw as a saviour for occupied France: 'The knights came riding along the road.  And in the bright sunshine they saw Matisse-en-France.'

Aragon, 1942-- charcoal and pen and ink drawings

There was a room in the exhibit full of charcoal drawing themes which were heavily reworked through erasure whereas in variations, the ink or pencil drawing was the result of one stroke, without hesitation.  The effect of his drawings was like an animation.

Young Woman in White on a Red background, 1946

Portrait of Carmen Lahens-Hélouis, 1944.  Based on Haitian dancer Carmen Hélouis, this was an illustration for Charles Baudelaire's Fleurs du mal.  'The atmosphere of the clubs in Harlem along with the aesthetic of the Harlem Renaissance, which he discovered during trips to New York in 1930 and 1933, likely permeated this portrait.'

There was an entire room dedicated to Matisse's book Jazz.  In 1944, he agreed to a request by the publisher Tériade who had been wanting to work with him on 'a book about colour' for several years.  Between 1943 and 1944, he worked on a series of 20 plates created by cutting out shapes from paper painted with gouache.  These evoked the world of childhood, the circus and folk takes.  Alongside, he composed a collection of short texts with his musings on art and life.  The original compositions were reproduced using stencil. 

The choice of the title Jazz reflects not only the rhythm, but the sometimes strident chords of pure colour and the sense of improvisation.   

The Clown

The Circus

Maquettes above- book plates under glass

Icarus

Pierrot's Funeral

The Toboggan

In 1952, Matisse wrote that " There is no separation between my old pictures and my cut-outs, except that with greater completeness and abstraction, I have attained a form filtered to its essentials".   The pieces in Jazz are among our favourites.  

Red Interior, Still Life on a Blue Table, 1947

Interior in Yellow and Blue, 1946

Maquette for the cover of Portraits 1954

Polynesia, the Sea, 1946- inspired by his travels in the Pacific.
Still experimenting with his cut-out paper technique.

Large Red Interior, 1948

Interior with Window and Palm, 1948.  Matisse attached importance to the technique of brush painting. This piece is as large as the interiors he painted at the same time.

From a video showing Matisse's cut-out techniques.  
Done from sheets of paper that had been pre-coated with gouache.

Between 1948 and 1951, Matisse dedicated his time to designing a chapel for the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary in Vence.  

There was also a maquette and stained-glass window recently donated to the Museum.

Maquette for the stained-glass window The Vine, 1953

The Vine, 1953-1954.  Designed for his son Pierre's villa in Saint-Jean- Cap-Ferat and donated to the Museum-- being shown to the public for the first time.

The final publication Matisse worked on was a collection of portraits to which he wrote the preface

Use of ink and brushes were the graphic equivalent of the gouache cut-outs.

The Sorrow of the King, 1952- Matisse considered this composition equal to his best paintings and it was the first gouache cut-out to enter French public collections.  According to Matisse, the cut-out depicts a 'sad king, a bewitching dancer and a character strumming a sort of guitar from which a flock of golden flying saucers soar up'.

Plane trees are a recurring theme in Matisse's work

In 1952, Matisse began the Blue Nudes series, which comprises around 15 different variations of figures cut out of blue gouache in either static or dynamic poses.  The Blue Nudes, which take on the form of modern caryatids, follow in the tradition of the great Arcadian figures that punctuated his work.  Matisse was reinventing himself right up to the end.

One of the Blue Nudes series, 1952.

The last wall of the exhibit had a wonderful quote from Matisse:  I hope that however old we live to be, we die young.  Definitely words to live by.

After the Matisse exhibition, we took the Metro to one of our favourite spots- Palais Royal.  The palace was originally the residence of Cardinal Richelieu  and was built from about 1633 to 1639.  It was called the Palais-Cardinal.  After Richelieu's death in 1642, the palace became the property of the King and acquired the new name Palais-Royal.  Today, it is the home of the Conseil d' État, the Constitutional council and the Ministry of Culture. 

The Courtyard of Honour, with installation of columns by Daniel Buren (b. 1938), conceptual artist, painter and sculptor, in 1985.

We always take pictures here-- Alain at the Palais Royal

Moi aussi! (not quite posed...)

Behind the courtyard are the gardens of the Palais-Royal and the adjoining shops, including our favourite scarf store, Épice.  We stopped by the store, but did not buy anything.

Trees in full bloom at Palais Royal

We stopped for a coffee at Café Kitsune and enjoyed it on the patio facing the trees.

Café Kitsune--small interior with large patio

We decided to pay a visit to the Pont de Neuf but first stopped at the beautifully renovated La Samaritane department store which is very close to the bridge.

Top floor of Samaritaine-- beautiful murals

We went to see JR's monumental temporary installation entitled La Caverne du Pont Neuf.  It will be open from June 6 - 28.  Unfortunately, we leave Paris on June 4 so will miss the chance to walk on the bridge. 

JR was born in Paris in 1983.  His mother was originally from Tunisia.  JR is a French artist internationally renowned for his monumental photographic collages in public spaces. We had seen a fantastic exhibit of his work at the Brooklyn Museum a few years ago, which included photos and videos of a gigantic installation at the US-Mexican border.  He also co-directed a 2017 documentary film which I saw at TIFF, called Faces Places, where he and Agnès Varda travelled around France to meet people and discuss their visions.  JR calls himself an "urban artivist."

The Pont Neuf artwork pays tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Pont Neuf Wrapped, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025.  The installation will be funded solely by the sale of JR's works along with private support.  

JR is creating a dialogue between historical heritage and contemporary art and it will be accessible to all, free of charge for 24 hours a day.   It is inspired by the limestone quarries, the famous 'stone of Paris', from which the bridge itself, completed in 1607, was built.  There is also a reference to Plato's allegory of the cave.  The Pont Neuf was chosen as it is the oldest stone bridge in Paris and the first to incorporate pavements for pedestrians.  By transforming it into a 'Cave', JR goes back to the very origins of the city.

Interestingly, JR has also designed the official poster for the nRoland-Garros tennis match 2026, which is on right now.  

Magazine cover 

La Samaritaine had a very large gift shop dedicated to JR and the Pont Neuf project. Alain ended up buying a t-shirt and I got a tote bag.

Lots of JR merch- Alain trying on a hat

The concept

Photo Booth at La Samaritaine- with JR caves as backdrop

We walked to the Seine to take pictures of the work in progress on the Pont Neuf.  Just fabulous to be able to see it in person.

The draping and work under way on Pont Neuf

Alain--- it was a very bright day.

Moi Aussi!

Another look--- the bridge is closed until the opening of the installation on June 6.

There were a number of flower stores on the street near the Seine.  Everything in full bloom.  Parisians love flowers.

CasaNova flower shop

View across the Seine, just down from Pont Neuf

We stopped for a cold drink at one of the cafés.  Matcha drinks have become huge in Paris, as they are in Toronto now.  I had an ube matcha-- beautiful purple colour (forgot to take photos).   We eventually took the Metro back to our apartment for a late night salmon dinner prepared by Chef Alain.  We are handling the heat wave quite well--- air-conditioned museums, and lots of stops at cafés with awnings.  We are enjoying the late sunsets-- 9:43 p.m.--- we never get this late a sunset in Toronto.  The heat wave will break on Sunday.