Matisse und sein Garten
(Book)

This volume describes how French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) began cutting shapes out of paper and posting them on his walls, and how this simple pastime developed into a series of remarkable works of art, and presents fold-out reproductions of eight examples. Diagnosed with abdominal cancer in 1941, Matisse underwent surgery that left him chair and bed bound. Painting and sculpture had become physical challenges, so he turned to a new type of medium. With the help of his assistants, he began creating cut paper collages, or decoupage. He would cut sheets of paper, pre-painted with gouache by his assistants, into shapes of varying colors and sizes, and arrange them to form lively compositions. Initially, these pieces were modest in size, but eventually transformed into mural or room-size works. The result was a distinct and dimensional complexity -- art not quite painting, but not quite sculpture.

Als der Ausnahmekünstler Henri Matisse nach einer schweren Erkrankung ans Bett gefesselt ist, nimmt er sich Schere und Papier zur Hand und beginnt, Silhouetten auszuschneiden. Zuerst einen Vogel, dann immer neue Formen und Umrisse. Seine großformatigen, aus buntem Papier geschnittenen und geklebten Collagen sind ein Meilenstein der Kunstgeschichte und bannen noch heute mit ihren vibrierenden Farben und träumerischen Szenerien die Blicke der Betrachter. Die farbenfrohen Illustrationen von Cristina Amodeo erzählen mit Henri Matisses eigenen Mitteln die Entwicklung dieser vollkommen neuen Kunstform.

In German, translated from the English.