Henri Matisse
October lesson Plan for Fifth Grade
Interiors
Biographical information
Henri Matisse ( 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French artist known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor but is known primarily as a painter. Matisse is regarded, along with Picasso as one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century, responsible for significant developments in painting and sculpture. Although he was initially labeled a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art. Today one of his paintings can cost as much as 17 million dollars. In the beginning of his career he painted many still-lifes and landscapes in the traditional Flemish style, however, as his talent grew he broadened his use of color and inspiration.
Throughout his lifetime, he suffered from poor health, but that never stopped him from creating art. Many pictures were painted from his sick bed so they show the inside of his room and a view of the outdoors through an open window, the rooms had patterned wallpaper, curtains, tablecloths and many everyday objects, there was so much to look at in Matisse's pictures. Matisse was known for using many of the same objects throughout his paintings. Such objects included a birdcage, a pewter jug, a Chinese vase, and his dog.
“I have worked all my life before the same objects. The object is an actor. A good actor can have a part in ten different plays; an object can play a role in ten different pictures.” - Matisse
** Please take a moment to ask the students what they think Matisse meant by this quote.
In this lesson we are going to be focusing on Matisse the draughtsman. A draughtsman is an artist who practices or works in drawing. Drawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, markers, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas and board may be used. Drawing has also become popular as a means of public expression via graffiti art, due to the availability of permanent markers.
Matisse considered his drawing to be a very intimate means of expression. His use of materials (charcoal, pencil, crayon, etc.) varied according to the subject and personal circumstance. His favorite subjects were oftentimes women. Other themes relate to the real or imagined world of both Oceania and the Caribbean –Matisse imagined what the lagoons, coral and people would look like in these far off lands. Still other subjects were inspired by classical mythology. Matisse often made drawings before he started a painting or sculpture. He believed that drawings should be quick exercises that captured the form and emotion inspired by the subject. As the most direct expression of the artist's thoughts, drawing often helped Matisse to pursue new ideas.
Today you are all going to be draughtsman. Your task will be to create a drawing of an interior. This drawing could be the interior of your bedroom, a drawing of what you see when you look out the window, or anything else that inspires you. However, like Matisse you are all going to include the same object in your drawing, a dog. Just as Matisse stated, the same object can star in many roles. Be creative when placing the dog in your picture, it does not need to be the focal point of your drawing.
Vocabulary Words
Draughtsman: a person who uses the visual art of drawing.
Fauve: An artist who uses bold and unusual colors in their paintings. Translates to wild beast.
Color: The most expressive element of art and is seen by the way light reflects off a surface.
Line: A mark drawn by moving a tool such as a paintbrush or pencil. Lines have direction: horizontal, vertical or diagonal. There are different kinds of lines: straight, curved, and angular. They have attributes: thin, thick, smooth, rough, solid or broken
Pattern: The repetition of art elements or the combination of elements in an organized manner. Regular patterns contain elements that are repeated with accuracy. Irregular patterns contain elements that are repeated randomly. Radial patterns are those that spread outward from a single point.
Discussion Questions
Here are a few questions to ask the students while showing examples of Henri Matisse’s works of art. Scroll to the end of the document for artist examples.
What do you see?
Why do you think he uses the colors he does?
Do you see any repeating images?
How does Matisse use line in these paintings?
Describe the lines (i.e. bold, curved, broken, jagged)
Here are some questions to ask the students after they have completed their project. If time allows, they can even use their own works of art to answer the following.
What do you think is the most important part of this picture? Why?
What interests you most about this work of art?
Pretend you are inside this picture. What does it feel like?
Basically a brief reflection on what they had created.
Interior drawings
Materials: white drawing paper, colored pencils
Give each student a piece of white drawing paper and colored pencils. As earlier described, have the students create a drawing of an interior (bedroom, kitchen, family room, etc.) Each drawing should include a dog. Encourage the students to be creative when placing the dog. Students may wish to sketch their drawing with a pencil first and then add color when completed.
At the end of this project you will each display your pictures and show where you included the dog.
*If someone is struggling on where to put their dog, here are a few ideas: in a picture hanging on the wall, underneath a table, on the foot of a bed, etc.
Henri Matisse, 1946
Open Window at Collioure, 1905
Interior at Collieure, 1906