Matisses Startling Late Works: The Cut-Outs.

Tate Modern, 17 April 7 September 2014

(ubllshed ln London Crlp, Aprll 2014 - klndly clLe Lhe orlglnal lf quoLlng
hLLp://londongrlp.co.uk/2014/04/maLlsses-sLarLllng-laLe-works/)


Penrl MaLlsse, !"#$ &#'$ ((, 1932

no wonder Penrl MaLlsse ls well loved. Pls works are sensuous, [ubllanL, gorgeous: Lhey
envelop and lmmerse Lhe vlewer ln volupLuousness, ln llghL LhaL flnds lLself maLerlallsed as
coloured form, coloured space. Pls work ls popular and much of lL ls well known, he ls
celebraLed for Lhe [oyous rhyLhms, Lhe unabashed pleasure ln and of hls works. ?eL none of
Lhls foreknowledge prepares one for Lhe sheer dellghL - and Lhe wealLh of lnformaLlon -
LhaL ls afforded by Lhe overwhelmlng presence of Lhese cuL-ouLs seen en masse, and, so Lo
speak, 'ln Lhe flesh.' 1he 1aLe Modern ls now holdlng Lhe mosL comprehenslve exhlblLlon
ever dedlcaLed Lo MaLlsse's )*)+$,- './0#).-1 lL brlngs LogeLher 130 works from Lhe flnal
chapLer of Lhe arLlsL's llfe, buL Lhese ln no way consLlLuLe whaL ls generally LhoughL of as a
"
'laLe sLyle.' 1helr palpable vlgour, Lhelr conLalned, vernal [oyousness, and Lhe sheer
cleverness of Lhem, all belle any noLlon of an arLlsL ln Lhe auLumn or wlnLer of hls days.
lorms appear and are relLeraLed - blrds, long-flngered leaves, sensuous and pared down
female Lorsos, corkscrews. CerLaln colours predomlnaLe (cobalL blue, cadmlum yellow, black,
green, magenLa). All Lhls ls famlllar. ?eL a closer lnspecLlon shows us LhaL noLhlng ls
predlcLable, everyLhlng ls slmulLaneously lmprovlsed and newly LhoughL Lhrough. ln shorL, lf
one ls only famlllar wlLh MaLlsse's cuL-ouLs from reproducLlons, noLhlng could prepare one
for a llve confronLaLlon wlLh Lhese works.
1he 1aLe show covers Lhe lasL LhlrLeen years of MaLlsse's llfe, when, afLer undergolng radlcal
surgery for colon cancer aL Lhe age of 71, he found hlmself aL flrsL wheelchalr bound, and
evenLually bed bound. Pls bedroom ln hls vllla 2$ 345$ ln vence was Lransformed lnLo a
sLudlo and, slmulLaneously, lnLo a reverle of ouLdoor space LhaL he fllled wlLh lmaglned
bowers and paradlslac paper gardens. Pls only Lool was a palr of long-bladed sclssors, hls
medlum was sheeLs of paper LhaL hls asslsLanLs would have palnLed ln a relaLlvely llmlLed
array of vlvld and speclflc hues. Pls asslsLanLs, ln parLlcular Lhe glamorous, 8usslan-born
Lydla uelecLorskaya, became hls prosLheLlc llmbs, noL only Lhe arms LhaL plnned Lhe cuL-ouLs
Lo Lhe wall, buL also Lhe legs LhaL danced abouL under Lhe arLlsL's lnsLrucLlon, unLll Lhe
preclse poslLlon for placlng Lhe cuL-ouL form on Lhe wall was found.
Cne of Lhe dellghLs of Lhe exhlblLlon ls LhaL lL manages Lo presenL Lhese famlllar lmages noL
as compleLed, flnlshed, closed works, buL as parL of a dynamlc work-ln-progress, lndeed
exhlblLlon and caLalogue LogeLher creaLe a falrly preclse and deLalled plcLure of MaLlsse's
worklng procedure. 1hls enLalls showlng us Lhe progresslon of Lhese cuL-ouLs, from Lhe flrsL
slmple experlmenLs Lo Lhe flnal, sweeplng, synLheLlc works (evocaLlve aL once of sLalned
glass and modern LapesLry - lL ls no colncldence LhaL MaLlsse's work was so readlly
LranslaLed lnLo boLh glass and LexLlle). 8uL Lhls focus on worklng meLhods and procedure
also enLalls a backward glance, a nod Lowards Lhe slgnlflcanL pre-hlsLory of Lhe cuL-ouL ln
MaLlsse's pracLlce. We see Lhe orlglns of Lhe auLonomous cuL-ouLs ln much earller works
where, ln hls search for Lhe perfecLly balanced (whlch ls noL Lo say symmeLrlcal) sLlll llfe
composlLlon - unllke hls prlckly conLemporary lcasso, MaLlsse belleved arL should be as
comforLable as an armchalr - MaLlsse would cuL forms ouL of sLlff paper and pln Lhem onLo
Lhe canvas, playlng around wlLh Lhe placemenL, scale and degree of overlap of Lhe forms
LhaL he was Lhen flnally Lo flx ln an apparenLly 'sponLaneous' palnLlng. 1he counLless pln-
prlcks vlslble ln all Lhe flnlshed works are evldence of Lhls provlslonal pracLlce, ln Lhe early
#
cuL-ouLs rehearslng Lhe overall shape of Lhe palnLlng before commlLLlng Lhe lndlvldual forms
Lo Lhelr asslgned place ln a composlLlon, ln Lhe laLe cuL-ouLs essaylng Lhe mosL economlc,
succlncL, evocaLlve, lyrlcal way of uslng Lhose forms.
8uL Lhere ls much more LhaL seelng Lhese works LogeLher, and 'llve,' ylelds. lor one, Lhere ls
Lhe Lremendous varleLy of scale, from Lhe small deslgns for arLlsLs' book and magazlnes
(6*77, 8$,5$) Lo Lhe vasL, wall-slzed decoraLlve composlLlons (2*,9$ :$/0,*;+0< =+;> ?*-@-,
1933). 1hen, reproducLlon belles Lhe surface of Lhe works, suggesLlng LhaL each coloured
shape ls unlformly flaL. ln facL, because Lhe paper LhaL MaLlsse uses for Lhe cuL-ouLs ls hand
palnLed, and Lhese maLLe, gouache surfaces frequenLly reLaln Lhe Lraces of Lhe manual
gesLure enLalled ln Lhe appllcaLlon of Lhe plgmenL, as well as, more surprlslngly, degrees of
Lransparency and opaclLy. ln Lhls sense, Lhe cuL-ouLs speak dlrecLly Lo MaLlsse's palnLlngs,
where brushy areas of lumlnous colour are played off agalnsL areas LhaL are denser, dryer.
1hen, Lhere are Lhe Llny, [agged cuL edges LhaL reLaln Lhe Lrace and memory of sclssors
worklng Lhelr way around a shape. noLhlng could more conclsely conLaln Lhe energy of
maklng ln reduced physlcal clrcumsLances: Lhese edges hold a degree of dynamlsm LhaL ls
belled by Lhe flaLness of reproducLlon. llnally, ln addlLlon Lo Lhe pln prlcks, pencll marks
wlLhln Lhe composlLlons, LogeLher wlLh areas where a shape wlll have been composed of
varlous overlald blLs of paper raLher Lhan slmply belng cuL ouL ln a slngle 'slLLlng', aLLesL Lo
Lhe experlmenLal, lmprovlsaLory and dynamlc naLure of MaLlsse's facLure.
MaLlsse frequenLly spoke of 'Lhe eLernal confllcL of drawlng and colour', and Lhrough Lhe
dlfferenL phases of hls work, llne and colour have en[oyed varled forms of reclprocaLlon. 1he
fllm cllps lncluded ln Lhe exhlblLlon, showlng MaLlsse wleldlng hls sclssors ln hls wheelchalr,
LrlangulaLe Lhls essenLlal blnary Lerm drawlng/colour. WaLchlng Lhe forms fall from hls
sclssors, one becomes aware LhaL cuLLlng ls noL only a means of drawlng, buL also a means
of cuLLlng *=*A, and as such, lL performs an exploraLlon of Lhree-dlmenslonal space. LaLer
arLlsLs have played wlLh Lhese Lwo poLenLlallLles of Lhe cuL-ouL - l am Lhlnklng of kara
Walker and, more lnLeresLlngly, Wllllam kenLrldge - buL here ln MaLlsse one sees Lhe
earllesL germs of an enLlrely lnnovaLlve exploraLlon of Lhree-dlmenslonal space, uslng Lhe
mosL unpredlcLable and apparenLly Lwo-dlmenslonal of means. 1he sculpLural poLenLlal of
Lhe cuL-ouL ls leasL convlnclng where, ln some of hls laLer works, MaLlsse layers decoraLlvely
cuL forms on Lop of each oLher, or where hls drawlng wlLh cuL paper creaLes a dlagonal LhaL
osLenslbly dlsplaces Lhree-dlmenslonal space, as ln Lhe Lable ln B#"C* (1930). 1he ouLcome
ls cerLalnly one of greaLer complexlLy, buL lL ls perhaps Lhe sLarLllng slmpllclLy LhaL
$
consLlLuLes MaLlsse's boldesL conLrlbuLlon. Whlle creaLlng a shallow buL dlsLlncLly Lhree-
dlmenslonal space, ln Lhese layered works, Lhe whole remalns lnLrlnslcally plcLorlal.
lL ls ln Lhose mosL pared down, and apparenLly lnsubsLanLlal of laLe works, Lhe blue
monochrome flgures of Lhe four female nudes (1932), LhaL a sculpLural exploraLlon becomes
mosL expllclL, Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL Lhe curaLors, nlcholas SerroLa and nlcholas Culllnan, have
lncluded some of MaLlsse's own early sculpLures of female nudes ln vlLrlnes alongslde Lhese
blue flgures, Lo press Lhe polnL home. 1he [uxLaposlLlon ls breaLhLaklng, and hlghllghLs whaL
ls already evldenL ln Lhe flaLLened nudes. Pere, gaps and lnclslons ln Lhe sensuous volumes
brlng Lhe whlLe of Lhe ground ln Lo wrap around or lnLerrupL Lhe cobalL flgure, ln a process
LhaL MaLlsse called 'aeraLlon.' CuL and flaL shape [oln forces Lo sLand ln for Lhe body's yoglc
LwlsLs and loops Lhrough space.
lndeed, Lhe rhyLhmlc organlsaLlon of form agalnsL ground makes even Lhe concepL of
'ground' ln MaLlsse's cuL-ouLs spurlous. noL only does Lhe whlLe of Lhe surface slng ouL as an
lmporLanL colour, buL Lhe negaLlve shapes LhaL lL forms become leglble as decoraLlve
elemenLs ln Lhelr own rlghL. ln MaLlsse's use of Lhe reversed secLlons of cuL papers, and ln
Lhe [udlclous lnLerplay of edges (he ls parLlcularly clever ln hls manlpulaLlon of whaL goes on
aL Lhe very ouLer edge of Lhe lmage, Lhe place where lL osLenslbly 'flnlshes'), Lhe noLlons of
'flgure' and 'ground' become boLh reverslble and exchangeable. Look, for lnsLance, aL all Lhe
overlaps and edges ln Lhe well known plaLes for Lhe book 6*77 (1947), such as D>$ E<+F$
D>,0=$, (laLe xv) or 2*900< (laLe xvll, lmage below).

Penrl MaLlsse, 2*900<, laLe xvll from 6*77.

%
near Lhe end of Lhe exhlblLlon, Lhe famlllar and always fresh large G<*+" from Lhe 1aLe's own
collecLlon, conLlnues Lo surprlse. lor here, Lhe process of cuLLlng has become rougher, more
lmpaLlenL, and oLher Lhan a sly vlsual [oke ln Lhe small cuL-ouL snall shape Lop lefL, drawlng,
colour and shaplng are, so Lo speak, unpacked and dlsmembered. Pere, ln oLher words, Lhe
shapes are no longer cuL ouL Lo descrlbe forms, raLher, Lhe descrlpLlve form ls reassembled
ouL of purely absLracL shapes, squares splralllng slowly Lo evoke Lhe essence of 'snallness.'
And where Lhe H/$*<+* murals were obvlously Lhe flowerlng of a memory of hls Lrlp Lo
Cceanla, Lhe laLer work ?$C0,A 0F H/$*<+*, slsLer work Lo G<*+" and daLed from
approxlmaLely Lhe same Llme, conLalns perhaps Lhe mosL boldly absLracL of MaLlsse's cuL-
ouL deslgns, wlLh sllvers and blocks of colour, broad areas of whlLe, and several organlc buL
mysLerlous charcoal llnes suggesLlng a memory of movemenL aL one furLher remove from
flguraLlon, dlsassembled, free-floaLlng, almosL Lhe dream of a represenLaLlon, buL polnLlng
Lhe way Lo a generaLlon of new palnLers who, especlally ln Amerlca, would, ln Lhe 1930s,
Lake up where MaLlsse lefL off.

Penrl MaLlsse, ?$C0,A 0F H/$*<+*I 1932-3

8uLh 8osengarLen Aprll 2014.