Bastille Day Celebrations
Every July 14th, France celebrates its "Fete Nationale"-- Bastille Day, marking the beginning of the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille prison. Today it's a cheerful affair comprising fireworks, firemen putting on campy shows at their stations, and more fun that's decidedly "a la francaise". Don't miss out on some of the year's liveliest festivities.
Matisse Show
A major exhibition on Henri Matisse opening in Paris this week brings a new
perspective to his work, showing the painstaking creative process behind the
simple shapes and strident colors that made the French artist's
name.
"Matisse: Pairs and Series" explores for the first time how one of the
greatest painters of the 20th century would repeat the same composition again
and again, varying color and technique, before being satisfied with the
result.
For a man best known as leader of the Fauvist movement, and for seemingly spontaneous bursts of color such as his 1906 "Joy of Life," the show reveals an insecure and restrained side that would remain unchanged throughout a six-decade career.
"We wanted to challenge the received wisdom that he was a happy painter, an easy painter, a sort of virtuoso of simplicity and joy," said exhibition curator Cecile Debray.
"Matisse was obsessive, worried, racked with doubt from the beginning to the end, and he showed it in his painting through this constant multiplication and exploration," she said.
The exhibition, expected to be one of the highlights of the spring cultural season in Paris, runs to June 18 at the Pompidou Center.
"Matisse: Pairs and Series" explores for the first time how one of the
greatest painters of the 20th century would repeat the same composition again
and again, varying color and technique, before being satisfied with the
result.For a man best known as leader of the Fauvist movement, and for seemingly spontaneous bursts of color such as his 1906 "Joy of Life," the show reveals an insecure and restrained side that would remain unchanged throughout a six-decade career.
"We wanted to challenge the received wisdom that he was a happy painter, an easy painter, a sort of virtuoso of simplicity and joy," said exhibition curator Cecile Debray.
"Matisse was obsessive, worried, racked with doubt from the beginning to the end, and he showed it in his painting through this constant multiplication and exploration," she said.
The exhibition, expected to be one of the highlights of the spring cultural season in Paris, runs to June 18 at the Pompidou Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment