{"product_id":"9783836534277","title":"Matisse Cut-outs","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePainting with scissors\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow Matisse bowed out in a riot of colorful shapes and patterns\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eHenri Matisse\u003c\/b\u003e (1869–1954) was a fighting spirit. Despite a cancer diagnosis in 1941, increasing frailty and the confines of a wheelchair, the indomitable Frenchman \u003cb\u003enever stopped in his quest to make art\u003c\/b\u003e. With what he called “une seconde vie,” a second life, he embarked on a remarkable collage period, cutting and pasting pieces of colored paper into “gouaches découpées” of \u003cb\u003ebirds, plants, flowers, and the female form\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmphasizing color and contrast, the cut-out technique generated both \u003cb\u003estriking lines and vivid juxtapositions\u003c\/b\u003e. In works such as \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of Icarus\u003c\/i\u003e (1943), \u003ci\u003eThe Blue Nude\u003c\/i\u003e (1952), \u003ci\u003eThe Snail\u003c\/i\u003e (1953), and \u003ci\u003eLa Gerbe\u003c\/i\u003e (1953), \u003cb\u003eclean forms and elemental structures\u003c\/b\u003e power a compositional force that belies the work’s decorative appeal, at once tightly organized and \u003cb\u003einfectious with \u003ci\u003ejoie de vivre\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e. As his work progressed, Matisse’s excitement with his results fueled ever-larger pieces, advancing from small works to \u003cb\u003evast wall-sized murals\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs his final years approached, Matisse reveled in the simplicity and brilliance of these pieces, avowing, “Only what I created after the illness constitutes my real self: free, liberated...” In this essential introductory book, we revisit this joyful final chapter of Matisse’ long and prodigious career, examining how the \u003cb\u003ecut-outs encapsulated the artist’s many years exploring the possibilities of composition, form, and color\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Taschen America, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47060959854832,"sku":"9783836534277","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9783836534277_p0.jpg?v=1769887921","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9783836534277","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}