Henri Matisse, The MasterWorks from 1917 – 1952 |
| By Syed Muhd Hafiz | |||||
 Nu renversé au brasero, Lithography Best known as the ‘Master of Colour’, Matisse’s bold and fluid celebration of colours reached its peak in 1917 when he began to spend time on the French Riviera at Nice and Venice. Earlier on, he had been regarded as the leader of the Fauvist (French for the Wild Beasts) movement, a short-lived and loose grouping of early 20th century Modern artists whose works emphasised painterly qualities and strong colours over the representational values retained by Impressionism, the prevailing trend during that period. However, there was nothing violent or primal about this gentlemanly intellectual and his Fauvist years were superseded by an experimental period, as he abandoned three-dimensional effects in favour of dramatically simplified areas of pure colour, flat shape, and strong pattern. This move is further illustrated here, in the exhibition at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) in Singapore. Presented by STPI and Wing Tai and supported by the French Embassy, this is the first ever solo exhibition of the French modern master in Singapore. This exhibition comprises 52 prints, three drawings, and one painting dated 1917. This rare collection, valued at €2.5 million (est. S$5 million), is on loan from the estate of Henri Matisse. Taking centre-stage are the lithograph prints by Matisse that showcase his passages to the completed works, while the drawings and paintings act as supplement to this installation. Used to observing the bold-coloured and decorative paintings of his, the rows of lithograph prints offer an almost-Zen-like experience in re-discovering Matisse. Stripped off the colours, we begin to see his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. Matisse once said that he wanted his art to have the effect of a good armchair on a tired businessman. Dropping in at STPI on a quiet afternoon, visitors will surely marvel at the man who was often lauded by a plethora of accolades but, at the end of the day, was essentially an artist with immense control, and very much a man of common sense. Henri Matisse, The Master: Works from 1917 – 1952 is on from May 9 till August 16. STPI is located at 41 Robertson Quay Singapore 238236. Nearest MRT Station is Clarke Quay. More information can be obtained from www.stpi.com.sg or Tel: (65) 6336 3663, Fax: (65) 6336 3553 and Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Pictures are courtesy of STPI.
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