Matisse
Pattern is all around us. Unwrap a Hershey bar or maybe notice the plaid shirt you are wearing. What about the zigzag pattern on the floor of your car or even the tread on the bottom of a pair of sneakers? Nature is full of pattern too. Look closely at the sections of a leaf! The next time you have the chance, just stop and look around and count the patterns you see. You might loose track!
The students at CDESA have just learned about the life of the artist Henri Matisse. Henri Matisse used much of what he observed from the world around him to influence his art. His parent’s were in the textile industry so much of what surrounded him was fabric and patterns. Matisse painted those patterns right into his still life and portraits. It took COURAGE on his part to be different from the all other painters around him at the turn of the century. (1869-1954)
Works of art take COURAGE! Our students are using COURAGE to paint what they see. Our students are using COURAGE to cut shapes and design images as they glue them onto paper. Most of all, our students take COURAGE using tools and medium, often for the first time, to cut with scissors and mix paints. What if I "mess-up"? What if I am cutting out a star shape and my scissors cut too far? I cut off a point...I have to start all over again or change my composition to include a different shape. This problem solving process that takes place within seconds of our brain is such an integral part of making art. So much learning takes place in this process. You are pleased when you do it well, and you are disappointed when you don’t, that is why making art takes courage. Our students are learning through the processes and have opportunities to develop confidence and COURAGE to try even more! This is what Matisse knew all too well and what led him to say, ”Creativity takes COURAGE.”
