Inspiration: Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists. His work brings so much joy and happiness. It's refreshing to have such positivity in a sea of social commentary, troubled images, and darkly colored images. His work is bright, graphic, bold, and happy. 

Henri Matisse. The Dance.

 

Henri Matisse. The Joy of Life.

Though the imagery looks simple, the pared-down shapes, color choices, and composition are all very well thought out to convey his message. He once said, "What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue." I love this idea of his work being comforting and soothing "like a good arm chair." It's like a deep breath of fresh air. 

Inspiration: Midcentury

I love mid-century anything. Recently I stumbled upon an American artist, Matte Stephens, who is painting in an updated mid-century style and I just love it. Here are some samples of his work:

Autumn in NY

King Richard never lost his love of Falconry even though he had a few minor mishaps

Meeting to feed birds

20th Century Fashion

While checking out books in the kids section of my local library, I stumbled upon a series called 20th Century Fashion.

I found the following six books: 1900-10s, 20s & 30s, 40s & 50s, 60s, 70s, and the 80s & 90s. Here is the library summary:

20th Century Fashion is a time capsule of clothing for every decade from the 1900s through the 1990s. This exciting series presents style and design as they relate to the world events, people, politics, social change, and technology of each era. Dynamic text and colorful images, along with a fashion time line that places clothing design alongside other world events, capture the glamour and artistry of fashion.

They’re perfect for junior high school students. The layout is great, it includes lots of pictures, and I love the inclusion of world history and technology from that era. There is also a companion series about 20th century design that is on my list to check out in the future.