MASTERPIECE:
Interior with Etruscan Vase (1940)
ARTIST:
Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)
CONCEPT:
Still Life
GRADE:
Sixth
LESSON:
Painting Still Life
Objectives:
Students will become familiar with styles of art and painting, and
paint a picture of a still life, attempting to use paint efficiently
Vocabulary:
Still Life, Pure Colors
Materials:
12 X 18 drawing paper
Pencils
Still life setups
Red, yellow, blue, black, white, orange, green, violet tempera
paint
Large and small paintbrushes
Mixing trays
Water containers
Paper towels
Newspapers for desks
About the Artist: Henri Matisse was born in a small town in Northern France. His
interest in art did not emerge until he was 21 and recuperating from an illness. His mother
gave him a paint set and he began copying pictures from magazines. He enrolled in art
classes and gave up plans for a career in law to become an artist.
Matisse drew and painted every day, even from his sickbed. For fifty years he
followed a daily routine: he worked from nine until noon, at lunch, rested until two, and
then worked until nightfall.
Mattisse’s early paintings were realistic: solid-looking figures and objects were
painted with shading and life-like colors. Under the influence of Impressionism, the colors
in his paintings became brighter, and the shapes because simplified and abstract. He
began to use pure colors, dramatic curves, ornate patterns, and black outlines. Figures and
objects had a flat look, as he no longer sought realistic portrayal of his subjects. Many of
Matisse’s paintings were of views from his window, which looked out on the Mediterranean
Sea, combined with studies of women and still lifes. Matisse always used a model when
painting figures.
In 1905, Matisse was one of the founding members of the Fauvist art movement.
The Fauvists, whose name means “wild beasts” in French, used pure, vibrant colors in
unusual, unnatural ways. They might, for example, paint orange tree trunks with purple
leaves and red grass.
In addition to painting, Matisse created stained glass, sculpture, and, in his later
years, cut-paper designs.
Interior with Etruscan Vase is one of many studies Matisse painted of a single
figure with a still life in a semi-abstract style. Matisse painted the figure and the objects
on the table without detail or shading. The pieces of fruit, for example, look like dabs of
color. A woman wearing a Moroccan outfit of a long coat and blousy, gathered pants is
sitting at a table reading a book. Behind her is an open window with sunlight reflecting off
the Mediterranean Sea. The composition is peaceful and serene.
Studying the Art Work: How does Matisse balance this composition? (Large areas of
bright colors are placed on each side; the red curtain balances the orange urn. Also there
are bright greens on each side and in the middle, on the plants. The colors of the stripes in
the coat are repeated in the window.)
Do lines play a major role in this work? (See the detail. The thick, black outlines
give definition to the shapes in the composition, and the white, delicate, diagonal lines on
the tabletop seem to be more than just decoration. Lines also form the stripes on the
coat and in the window, as well as the designs on the urn.)
What was Matisse more interested in, color or texture? Defend your answer.
(Color dominates the whole painting and gives emphasis to the important elements: the
woman, the urn and the window. There are few implied textures.)
Colors are related to feelings and moods. For example, blue is calming and relaxing,
while reds, oranges and yellows are exciting. What is the mood or tone of this painting?
(The large, cool gray areas provide calmness to the picture).
How is the suggestion of distance achieved? (Overlapping. The largest and closest
objects partially cover those behind. The plant overlaps the chair in the corner, and the
glass pitcher is in front of the urn.)
Process:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discuss the artist and the work.
Have students draw the shapes in their still life using pencil.
Emphasize that drawings should show only the main shapes
without details.
Students should stand up to paint and begin painting the
largest shapes first with large brushes. They should paint the
basic colors of their objects first, then mix variations of that
color for highlights and shadows. Use small brushes last for
fine lines or details.
Encourage students to think about their styles of painting – do
they allow some of their brushstrokes to show or carefully
blend related colors? Note that some artists squint at their
work to see how colors and brushstrokes look from a distance.
Vocabulary Definitions:
Still Life: Art based on an arrangement of non-moving, non-living objects, such as
fruit, flowers or bottles. A still life is usually portrayed in an indoor setting.
Pure Colors: Intense (spectral) colors seen in the rainbow when light passes
through a prism – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet.
Art Masterpiece – 6th Grade October – Henri Matisse, Interior with Etruscan Vase
Today your 6th grader studied the artist, Henri
Matisse. They created a still life painting in
Matisse’s Fauvist style. Matisse used unnatural
colors to express emotion. His artwork lacked
dimension and depth and his objects had little
detail. He chose to focus on colors. Your
student looked at a still life set up while they
painted with tempera paints or oil pastels.
Art Masterpiece – 6th Grade October – Henri Matisse, Interior with Etruscan Vase
Today your 6th grader studied the artist, Henri
Matisse. They created a still life painting in
Matisse’s Fauvist style. Matisse used unnatural
colors to express emotion. His artwork lacked
dimension and depth and his objects had little
detail. He chose to focus on colors. Your
student looked at a still life set up while they
painted with tempera paints or oil pastels.