At the end of his career, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) managed to integrate the formal elements of color and line. Through the cut-outs, he was finally able to unite the two branches of his practice. He described this process as “directly cutting the color” and “drawing with scissors.” In his wheelchair and already installed in the city of Nice (France), he cut papers with scissors of different sizes that his assistants previously painted with gouache. When it came to large murals, his assistants fixed the papers with pins on the walls of the atelier under the teacher’s instructions.
With an unorthodox tool such as scissors, white paper and gouache, he managed to create lively works of a great variety of colors and complexity in the last decade of his life when he suffered from a disease that did not allow him to move. With this technique, the artist recovers the fluidity of the brush with simple scissors.
Chicos al arte proposes us: inspired by this Matisse technique, we will explore color as enveloping planes, taking them to a new dimension to build a little house.
Experimenting with compositions, creating new shapes, stimulating the gaze, making color an experience.
Paint with scissors, find the shape and take it from two-dimensional to three-dimensional.
What do we need?
-3 white sheets A4 size
-Color papers
-Pair of scissors
-Glue
To start a workshop, it is always nice to show the children books about the artist that we are going to work with. The art books are amazing and it is interesting to join them in this discovery.
Cut out the papers with free shapes, whatever comes to mind. Simple and organic shapes. We intervene with collage the two sheets of only one side with those clippings of colored paper, magazines, etc. Also make graphics and write words with colored pencils.
When we have the two collage sheets ready, fold each sheet in half (lengthwise).
Then fold the ends towards the center as when we make a paper airplane (the upper and lower ones).
Then fold in half so that the lower point meets the upper one.
We take both sides to the center. We repeat these steps with the 2nd sheet.
We join the two parts by assembling one with another.
Now we need to make the roof (with a white or colored sheet). We can intervene the ceiling with papers and drawings. Once ready, fold the sheet in half and then fold it in half again and support it on the walls of the house. It is worth making a chimney with the smoke!
This is how we build the little houses in the manner of the great Matisse. Let’s do it!
