Henri Matisse - The Cut-Outs...a visitation!

I'm currently in the middle of taking 2 whole unbroken weeks off work, during what is hopefully something resembling 'Summer'!

As Per, I'm having a 'staycation' and yesterday was my 'day out' - off to the Ole Smoke with my Mum for a bit of culture.

We started off out day with a leisurely stroll from London Bridge station down to Tate Modern, down back streets, passed The Golden Hind, The Clink, The Globe (so much to pass in such a small space!!).

We arrived at Tate Modern 10 - 15 mins later and stopped in the cafe for coffee and cake half past elevenses! Our pre-booked tickets for the Matisse exhibition were for a 1.00pm entry, which, after our little sit down, gave us enough time to do a recce in the book shop and a little stroll around the artist room in permanent collection - currently Alex Katz.  We'd seen a little exhibition of his only a year or so ago at the Turner Contemporary in Margate (which is not too far from home but bizarrely takes longer to get to that it does London!?, still, thats public transport for you!).

Tickets collected and in hand, off we popped to see what The Cut-Outs had to offer.

A hour and a half and 14 rooms later I had idea's for my own work popping & bouncing around in my head (Mum on the other hand didn't want to see another algae shape again!).

My Mum is so good to take to these things...she'll like/dislike pieces & will always tell you why - she'll happily stand there and challenge the merits of work - why is one deemed 'better' than another...what does that 'mean' .... what is this one supposed to be about....
She pointed to one 'cut out' from Matisse's Jazz book (a joy to see in itself) and gave a shrug & a wave of a hand...'whats this one then? whats it got to do with circus? not sure if I like this one'...I replied with 'I'm not sure what it is...but I like the pattern...look at it properly....what does it 'feel' like',

and then suddenly, an exclamation and a knowing 'oh I see'....oh look, mum said, it a trapeze  act...look, there's the swings, oh and see...the safety net is there...and those shapes are the trapeze artists .... that must be 'trapeze' in french (Les Codomas - I looked it up when we got home....its not french for 'trapeze', but is the family name of a well known trapeze act of the time....and that is why I love taking my Mum...she's happy to dislike, and when challenged, just as happy to explain why/what is causing the dislike and to look again, to really 'see' the image and work out issues she has with the work.... doesn't mean that if and when she resolves these points that she goes on to 'like' the particular piece, she still didn't 'like' Les Codomas' as much as she liked 'that horse one over there', but at least she takes the time to learn about the work.

As usual, we laughed at the people with the hand held 'guides'...I hate HATE HATE those things...people stand with their noses 12 inches away from the art work but spend the whole time looking at the image of it on the 'guide' device with heads down and listening to someone telling them about the work...invariably they'll listen & look at the device for a minute or so, then, when all audio has finished, give a cursory glance up at the actual work for a second or so, then shuffle on to the next piece like little robotic lambs!!!!  Drives me bonkers!! how about having a nice long look AT THE WORK...jotting any notes or comments down in the little paper guide you always get...seeing if there's anything there that answer any questions you have...and then if necessary...and if you enjoyed to the work/exhibition and what to know more about what you've seen..maybe even buy the Exhibition catalogue...or even another book about the artist...learn...find out for yourself...make your own mind up...challenge yourself to find out if your opinion/thoughts/reflections marry up with those of the artist...did he/she convey what they wanted...do you agree with what the 'art said' - how does your opinions of the works compare to those of the artist and those of the gallery curators?? 
Take a step or three back and compare works with others in the room...or better still...view the room in its entirety ... has the curator guided you through the work...usually this is done chronologically and you see how work developed...(lol it was at this point my Mum declared that he 'stuck to what worked for him...oh look ... another room full of algae shapes!)  
we've yet to discover the significance of 'algae' shapes...they were certainly predominant ... but I have my exhibition catalogue to read through and other books on Matisse that I can research to find out.  It may be nothing, but I'll probably learn more about this period of his life  and his work of this time than if I'd just shuffled along with the other brain-washed herd of electronic gadget holding masses.

oh...and we also popped into the BP Portrait Award 2014 at the National Portrait Gallery...we both enjoy making our annual pilgrimage to this exhibition...and every year I come out of it saying...I could do that, I'm seriously going to enter it next year....I never do...but this year I mean it!!!! :-)

oh...and as well as the Matisse exhibition catalogue I also bought this amazing Dot-to-Dot book...just waiting for the sunshine to re-appear today and I'm off to sit and relax in the garden with the pencils!