As a young man, Henri MATISSE described his new-found love of art as “a kind of paradise”. What followed was a lifetime of creative labor, seeking to capture this feeling of balance and bliss in visual form. From groundbreaking masterpieces of Fauvism to the captivating cut-outs of his later years, the artist’s oeuvre has given us some of the most beloved works of modern art, celebrated and reproduced en masse to this day.
In a new (and long overdue) collection of skateboard art editions from the great French master, we celebrate the last decade of his life and the works which encapsulated it all – his relationship to color, his careful construction of lines, the influence of nature and the diverse sources he drew from during his worldly travels.
Cutting in Color
The works in question are, of course, MATISSE’s famous collages. After a major surgery for a benign intestinal tumor, the artist was bedridden and unable to continue with his regular routine of painting and sculpture. The “cut-outs” became his preferred technique, requiring only scissors and gouache-painted paper prepared by a team of assistants. Often focusing on human silhouettes, inspired by his collection of African sculptures and trips to Tahiti, MATISSE would carefully arrange pieces of paper into intricate compositions, miraculously achieving a sense of volume and movement on the flat surface of the page. This is the case of “Blue Nude II”, one of the most recognizable pieces from the eponymous series, available now as a skate art triptych.
The two solo editions are related to elements of Henri MATISSE’s “Jazz” – a book of illustrations which he began creating in 1942. Initially inspired by the iconography of the circus, the publication was ultimately exploring the relationship between art and musical improvisation, featuring themes of folklore, mythology and travels.
The overwhelming use of blue in these works was not accidental. To the artist, it symbolized volume and distance. It was also a remnant of his early Fauvist practice, relying on contrasting colors, bold lines and structure. What may appear as a simplistic final product was, in fact, a painstaking and rigorous journey, seeking to achieve the “art of balance, of purity and serenity.”
The Art of Giving Back
As a keen innovator, Henri MATISSE represented the values of creative discovery, self-improvement and ambition. Had the timeliness been right, he might have even been a skateboarder. To honor his inspiring legacy, we will be donating 10% of all sales to social skate projects worldwide. Supporting workshops, skill-building, community initiatives and skatepark construction for underprivileged youth.
