Color Theory, Social Norms, and Acceptance with Matisse
posted on 13 February 2011 | posted in
Arts and Entertainment
For some reason, when I look at graffti - perhaps some Banksy prints even - I'm reminded of the simplistic, vivid works of Henri Matisse.
Matisse was a great artist and one of the Fauvist leaders – bold colors that went against the norm of society. His works, while reasonable today, was greatly shocking to the public at the time when realistic and humble colors were preferred. His 1905 work, Woman With a Hat, was even thought to be of a prostitute because only a lady of such status would have bright colors. Yet he persevered despite the criticism (and his father’s disappointment), stating that art was “a kind of paradise.” This view of art would strike a chord with many art students throughout the years, as it did personally to me. Matisse struck me as an artist to do my final project on because he was everything I had experienced. As someone who was pursuing a scientific career, art was my stress reliever – my kind of “paradise” where I could express my feelings with different shades of color – some as bright and unrealistic as Matisse’s was. The unrealistic shades earned me much criticism from my non-artistic peers because they could not understand the art of the colors themselves. Color theory was just as important in the world of art as realism is to other aspects, and it was through Matisse’s works that I finally found a sense of belonging. This was a man who challenged art and succeeded.
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