The Critique Assessment 2022

Assessment 1 - Critique
Prepared for: Ji Hee Kim
Prepared by: Ngoc Thanh Huynh
Student ID: 806426661
Date: 29th August 2021
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 According to The Art Story (n.d.):
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French artist who was most renowned for his use of colour
as well as his fluid and innovative draughtsmanship. He worked as a draughtsman, a printmaker, and
a sculptor, but he is best recognised as a painter. With Pablo Picasso, Matisse is widely considered as
one of the artists who best contributed to defining the revolutionary advancements in the visual arts
during the first decades of the twentieth century, and as being responsible for key developments in
painting and sculpture.
1. Woman with a Hat (1905):
Since the Autumn Salon in 1905, the Woman with a Hat has been displayed. Line, shape,
colour, and texture are the elements of art in Matisse's "Woman with a Hat." Soft, natural, textured
lines are used in the artwork instead of solid, straight lines. Lines as well as shapes are organic and
curved. The painting has a lot of circular forms in it. Their rounded appearance highlights the
woman's humanity and gentleness. The right and artificial colours contrast with the realistic
components of the scene, making colour the most striking element in this art.
Vibrant and intense reds and yellows, such as those found in a woman's hat and hair, are
softened by the background's peaches, pinks, and greens. It's important to keep the bright colours in
balance with black outlines on the woman's body and apparel. In this piece, the texture is almost as
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Matisse, H. (1905). Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat). [oil on
canvas]. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA.

essential as the colour. There is a lot going on in this artwork. The rough brushstrokes are all over it,
but it is especially evident in the spots of colour that cover the wall behind it.
In Matisse's paintings, unity, balance, and focal point are the design principles. There is a
sense of unity in the artwork because of its texture and brushstrokes, as well as the excessively
bright colours throughout. There is also a sense of equilibrium in the woman's hat and her clothing
underneath it, thanks to their shapes. While not centred, the fullness of the hat mirrors that of the
torso and produces a balanced hourglass form.
Her eyes and face are the key points of this painting. They are in the exact centre of the
image, as well as in the inner curve of the suggested hourglass. The picture is quite expressionistic in
style. In this painting, the subject's form is defined by deeply textured black lines that contrast with
brilliant, unique colours that convey the artist's emotional response to the subject.
2. Dance (1910):
The colours and lines in Fauvism core painter Matisse's The Dance were just a passionate
combination of words, demonstrating the fascination of colour and composition. The lines were the
traces of a fluid dance, and the colour made the abstract artwork cleaner. Matisse's lines and colours
were perfectly balanced, and the impression of space they created inspired the free-dancing
posture. As a result of the five dancers working together, there was a sense of natural vitality and
delight in the dance.
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Matisse, H. (1910). Dance (La Danse). [oil on canvas]. Museum of Modern
Art, NYC

Henri Matisse painted The Dance during his mature period. On the painting, five female
figures were represented circling each other with their hands in a wild dance. However, even though
the artwork was simple, it was filled with deep fantasy. A cheerful, peaceful, and calm dance
scenario filled with unlimited strength was all that was present. There were no specific conditions,
no blurry background, and no bothersome depression. There was something about this image that
brought people back to a simpler time when people gathered around a flaming bonfire in the wild
and untamed to savour the passion of life and vigour.
Paintings of dance might be found all over the place. But there was no other artwork that
was as bright and as basic as this one was. Sky and earth were all in the background, as was the blue
sky and the green earth. People were moved by the presence of strong women dancing together,
and they were left with a feeling of spiritual depth and the power of life. The characters' varied
gestures were brimming with rhythm. Hand in hand, the circular dancing form was full of fluid
dynamic sense, advertising the vitality of life. A certain inner harmony and balance prevailed amid
the wild, warm atmosphere, allowing individuals to have a sense of serious and pure spiritual
cultivation. Also, the artist had been pursuing this creative effect for a long time now. This artwork
was successful in achieving this artistic impact.
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3. Bonheur de Vivre (Joy of Life) (1905-1906):
Henri Matisse painted Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life) between 1905 and 1906. A
countryside bathed in vibrant colour is depicted in the painting, where nude ladies and men perform
music and dance. Figures from his work The Dance (1909–1910) are represented as part of the
central background. Several persons are seen in a colourful landscape. In the landscapes, there
appears to be a large expanse of grass surrounded by trees. We can see a large body of water
aligned with the horizon from a distance. Looking through the trees, we can see a number of people
relaxing, embracing, making music, and taking in the beauty of nature in Paris. As a group of six
figures dance together, they form a circle. Aside from human characters, we can observe three
animals that resemble goats on the right side of the painting.
Flute-playing woman reclines on the ground in the foreground. An intimate relationship
exists between two characters on the right. On the left, we can see a couple additional figures with
garlands and a figure picking a flower, possibly to add to the garlands. In the centre , there are two
nudists reclining. Another couple may be seen on the left, with one of them hugging the other.
There's a guy on the right who is playing a flute while accompanied by a herd of goat-like animals.
The last picture plain is occupied by a group of dancers.
In this artwork, the colours play an important role in the arrangement of the painting's
design. Matisse employed complimentary pairs of pure colours. To highlight the figures, objects, and
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Matisse, H. (1905-1906). Bonheur de Vivre (Joy of Life). [oil on canvas].
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

landscapes, he utilised red and green in long, flowing, thick strokes. The figures themselves were
deformed and flat. In fact, the picture appears to be centred around colour. Using colour in a new
way was innovative for Matisse.
 Through the three Matisse artworks that I analysed above; I will apply it to the group time
activity for pre-schoolers. The purpose of this activity is to assist children in generating and utilising
ideas from the artist's works in order to create their own artwork. (Mayesky, 2014).
Look: I will start by introducing the artist and the artworks to children by showing them
images. Then let children look at the artwork closely to describe and explore what they see. Next, I
will ask them about what they see, what colours or texture, and what they think about the people in
the artwork as well as about shape, form, line, and movement of the artwork. This is also a good
chance for them to build their vocabularies about visual art.
 Think: During the discussion, I will ask some questions on the children's prior knowledge of
the elements of art as well as questions pertaining to the artist's work to encourage them to develop
their critical thinking skills (Mayesky, 2014). E.g., “when you look at this painting, how do you feel?”
or “Look closer at the field of grass surrounded by trees. Do you see any shapes and lines? Can you
describe it for me?”, “What do think it is?”, “Have you seen it before?”, “Why do you Matisse called
it “Joy of Life?”
Explore: I would encourage the child to research and find an image among the books in the
class that bears a resemblance to Matisse's artworks. And let them express their ideas after that.
Create: I will guide them to create their own version of art through Matisse’s artworks that
they have both observed and analysed together, and importantly, they are free to create whatever
they want, no need to copy with the original version (Chalk & Dinham, 2018). I will provide them
different materials such as chalk on canvas, crayons, pencils, acrylics, white and black paper.
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References:
Chalk, B., & Dinham, J. (2018). It’s art play: Young children belonging, being & becoming through the
arts. Oxford University Press.
Henri Matisse Biography, Life & Quotes. (n.d.). Joy of Life (Bonheur de Vivre), 1905 by Henri Matisse.
[Digital image]. https://www.henrimatisse.org/joy-of-life.jsp
Henri Matisse Biography, Life & Quotes. (n.d.). The Dance by Henri Matisse. [Digital image].
https://www.henrimatisse.org/the-dance.jsp
Henri Matisse Biography, Life & Quotes. (n.d.). Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau), 1905 by
Henri Matisse. [Digital image]. https://www.henrimatisse.org/woman-with-a-hat.jsp
Mayesky, M. (2014). Creative Activities and Curriculum for Young Children. Cengage.
The Art Story. (n.d.). Henri Matisse. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/matisse-henri/
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