In Distraction, my current launching point for thinking about how to live, Damon Young writes about the two-volume biography of Matisse by Hilary Spurling:
There are simply too many superlatives to describe Spurling’s effort: if you’re interested in the painter or the relationship between art and life, these books are priceless.
Having now read the first of the two, The Unknown Matisse: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Early Years, 1869-1908, I’m in full agreement. Eloquent, sympathetic without being syncophantic, and seamlessly comprehensive, this biography provides an indelible portrait of an artist driven, by complex demons I still don’t understand (and I wish I did), to progressively move beyond the boundaries of established art. Matisse was unlike many of his equally destitute painter compatriots, in that he supported a substantive family, and the book chronicles his perennial stress about money. Only at age forty – the end of this first volume – does he begin to earn enough to leasve poverty behind.
What was the outcome from reading this? A primary purpose was to ‘learn art,’ as I put it to myself. I’m a reader and listener foremost, and have also come to film – the culture of film – late, but visual art bewilders me. No doubt having poor vision is a reason – my perception of the world is far less visual, in some fundamental sense, than most people’s. But my incomprehension of fine art must, I believe, also stem from inattention. Damon Young tackles this intelligently in Distraction, and he focuses on Matisse. By coincidence, at the Hermitage last year, I saw a room full of Matisses and was very taken. Hence Spurling . . .
Does reading a biography of a famous painter assist in appreciating his art? I’ve always been ambivalent about the cult of the creator, wanting very much to let work stand on its own but also being drawn to attend signings and to read up on favourite bands. All I can say is that in this case The Unknown Matisse has helped me considerably. Appreciating how his painting evolved and why it was considered so revolutionary has helped my eye take in the art with added meaning. I’ve decided I very much like the way Matisse jettisoned classical painting aspects like perspective and fidelity to reality. ‘Unrealistic’ paintings that shocked the art world seem perfectly reasonable, indeed expressive, to me. No doubt that’s partly due to a modern sensibility but I’m beginning to realize Matisse’s emphasis on colour speaks to my eye.
I found I was able to appreciate Matisse’s earliest breakaway efforts (Spurling includes numerous colour plates) but that the 1905-1908 paintings appeal most. My favourites so far:
- The Open Window, Collioure – according to Spurling, the open door/window motif attracted Matisse and I can say it attracts me too, and I love the mix of colours
- Self-portrait (1906) – this turns the artist’s face, tinged with green, framed with purple, his eyes lucid, into an unforgettable window to his soul (you can see it affects me directly and an art philistine like me can barely believe it)
- Woman in a Hat – an incredible and scarcely credible profusion of colour that nonetheless captures his wife’s face better than photgraphy could
- Bathers with a Turtle – the emotion being conveyed with three plain strips of colour making up land, sea and sky, and distorted nude figures full of . . . I’m not sure what
- Harmony in Red (La Desserte) – complete attention on red