Matisse on Art

Documents of Twentieth-Century Art

by Jack Flam

This anthology contains the major writings of Henri Matisse, along with the transcripts of important interviews and broadcasts given at various stages of Matisse's career. There is also an introduction which addresses the development of Matisse's aesthetic values and artistic theories.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History

199 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Jack D. Flam (2 April 1940 - ) is Professor of Art History at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City College of New York and author of Matisse: The Man and His Art (1986) and Matisse: A Retrospective (1990).

From 1984 to 1992, Flam was the art critic of the Wall Street Journal.

Reviews

[Robert Poortinga]

Absolutely brilliant

[Mark Dzula]

It would be better to spend time with Matisse's work than read about it. There is even a great Matisse quote, "Whoever wishes to devote himself to painting should begin by cutting out his tongue." It is nonetheless striking to read about Matisse's fastidious approach to art and work. This radical artist believed in tradition, even as he pushed beyond it. I also appreciated his thoughts on the importance of labored practice to allow a sense of spontaneity and effortlessness into his work.

[scherzo♫]

"Gustave Moreau loved to repeat 'The more imperfect the means, the more the sensibility manifests itself.' And didn't Cezanne also say: 'It is necessary to work with coarse means'? Here to do things with such simple means, but at the same time in a very delicate manner, it is necessary to feel deeply, the sensation must burst forth definitively and totally."

[Daniel Stone]

An exceptional artist who understood that beauty ignites our emotional imaginations. His art exists beyond the constraints of words and descriptions, this book however is both insightful and and revealing, explaining his creativity and the generosity that is so common in his work

[Barry]

One of the greatest books on art. I'm always happy to re-read it, and I do, in bits, often. Each time I learn more.

[Elizabeth Pyjov]

Remarkable.

[Gloria Preston]

Great insights into the thoughts and life of an inspired painter and person.

[Ricardo]

Great collection of interviews and writings by matisse. Good insight into his thinking.