"Matisse: Forms in Freedom" The National Art Center, Tokyo
A record of the exhibition I visited on the 30th of last month.
(The exhibition runs until May 27th)
This is a note intended to look back on the exhibition through photos that were allowed to be taken, and to encourage people to visit art museums more casually and enjoy outings.
As expected, there were few visitors.
The azaleas, still in full bloom, added color to the building of The National Art Center, Tokyo.
16:00
"I'll have lunch at homeand head out slowly, and I think it would be nice to view the exhibition until closing time."
Café Coquille outdoor terrace seatingat
16:10
After taking a break, I headed to the venue.
Perhaps because it was a late visit, there were very few visitors.
Matisse: Forms in Freedom
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was the greatest master of the 20th century. He rose to prominence in Paris as a central figure of Fauvism, characterized by bold expressions liberated from colors faithful to nature. In Nice, where he would spend most of the latter half of his life, he energetically painted various models and objects in his studio, while also working on "cut-outs," a technique of cutting out colored paper with scissors and pasting it onto paper.
This exhibition introduces approximately 150 works and materials, including paintings, sculptures, prints, and textiles, focusing on his cut-outs, with a core collection from the Musée Matisse in Nice, France. Among them, "Blue Nude IV," a representative example of the cut-outs held by the museum, is on display, and the large-scale work "Flowers and Fruits" is a must-see piece that is being exhibited in Japan for the first time after undergoing restoration in France specifically for this exhibition.
Furthermore, this exhibition focuses on the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, which Matisse worked on in his final years and can be called the culmination of his artistic life, introducing his supreme art from architecture to interior decoration and vestments.
Unlike the long-awaited major retrospective exhibition in 20 years, the Matisse Exhibition held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 2023, this is an exhibition focusing mainly on cut-outs, and while the cut-outs at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum last year were small pieces, this time there are many large-scale works on display.
The exhibition at the National Art Center, with its high ceilings and spaciousness, will surely have a powerful impact.
The exhibition is structured into sections 01 through 05: Color, Studio, From Stage Design to Large-scale Decoration, Forms in Freedom, and The Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, and is organized so that the overview of Matisse's creation is conveyed to the viewer in order, from the first oil painting he painted, to his Fauvism works, studio panel photos, and ballet costumes and ballet work video screenings.
What was particularly novel was the collection of objects that Matisse owned, which were displayed in the studio section, especially the Venetian armchair and "Rococo Chair," in which that chair is depicted display.
I felt I could imagine the process by which real objects became paintings in Matisse's style.
However, regarding the Fauvism works, it was not the image of the overwhelming life force of the works rushing at you like the exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Photography is allowed from the middle of Section 4 to Section 5.
(I will look back at the venue with photos)
Nice, 1952-1953
A huge cut-out work made by connecting 5 canvases
One of the plans conceived for a request to create a large wall decoration for the patio of a villa in Los Angeles is Flowers and Fruits
On one wall, Flowers and Fruits is installed
Nice, 1952
Drawing with a brush
It seems that many of the Blue Nude series were created by pasting cut-outs on the wall.
1952
Gouache-painted and cut paper / pasted on white Canson paper (backed with canvas)
Nice, 1952
One of the four works in the 'Blue Nude' series created by Matisse using the paper cutout technique in 1952.
Even with the cutout technique, the model's supple pose and the musculature and skeletal structure of the body are conveyed.
The first Matisse exhibition held in Japan became a passionate event for people seeking art after the war, and it is said to have toured throughout the country.
Bessatsu Bungeishunju featured Matisse's paper cutouts on the front and back covers four times,
and their dynamism and vivid use of color remain fresh and unfaded even today.
As an aside, most of the items in the collection of the Musée Matisse in Nice are in wooden frames,
and I liked the framing, which felt like it was casually supporting Matisse's cutout works.
1948
If you look closely, it's a bee!
A bee composed of square paper cutouts is flying in an orderly and relaxed manner!
Tree of Life study for
1950
A study panel for the final design of the stained glass maquette for the Rosary Chapel.
Tree of Life study for
1950
Nice, 1949. Cast: Valsuani, 1965.
This crucifix is on the altar of the Rosary Chapel.
Nice, 1949.
Brush and ink / Vellum paper glued to kraft paper (backed with canvas).
The large work, 4.1m high and 8.7m wide, looks impressive in the high-ceilinged exhibition space of the National Art Center.
Chairs were placed in front of the work, allowing for leisurely viewing.
Exhibition of maquettes for items such as a set of priestly vestments designed by Matisse.
On the wall to the right behind the altar is the ceramic tile painting 'Saint Dominic'
and on the left is the stained glass 'Tree of Life'
The candlesticks have a very simple linear beauty.
I stood there for a while, experiencing a reproduction of light edited from 24 hours into 3 minutes.
From the darkness at night where the candlesticks shine, to dawn, and the morning light pouring in,
along with the soft colors of the light changing as it passes through the stained glass.
and the best time is 11 o'clock in the morning.
This chapel is, for me, the culmination of my life's work.
(Words spoken by Matisse in his final years)
I left the venue when the announcement came that it would be closing soon.
By tracing the later and final years of Matisse, known as the 'magician of color,' through the many exhibits, I felt I might have grasped, through my own senses, why he is called a magician of color.
“The work that chose me”Three years after completing it, Matisse passed away.
(Postscript: You can see photos of the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, as well as photos and articles about the bishop wearing his vestments, in Kateigaho magazine. They are said to be photos taken on a winter morning.)
1st Floor Cafe Coquille
Closed
Entrance to the former barracks
to Hinokicho Park in Minato City
At the site of the former garden of the Mori family's Azabu villa, the lords of the Hagi Domain.
It seems this was the central living area for the feudal lord.
The vast garden was called Shimizu-tei and was a famous garden from which one could overlook the townscape of Edo.
From a gazebo-style free rest area, as the sun set, I watched the high-rise buildings of Roppongi, reflected in the pond and beginning to light up,
for a while.
An elegant storefront.
I'm curious, but I walk on by.
A cozy-looking izakaya.
I took the subway, went straight home, and had dinner at home.
Just as the fragrant month of May was coming to an end, I wrote this note about events from nearly a month ago.