Most treasured possession1/7/2024 Here we examine five such possessions and a corresponding artwork they gave rise to, each of which you can see up-close in the Royal Academy's anticipated display. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Matisse worked from life, and it is the shadows of these treasured personal objects that can be traced across half a century of his work. Fascinated by colour, shape, pattern and rhythm, Matisse’s studio in Paris (and later in the South of France) was an eclectic melting pot of materials, styles and traditions: modern postcards and photographs ancient Roman sculpture African tribal masks Chinese porcelain and calligraphic-prints Andalusian glass Islamic furniture wall-hangings and metalwork a Thai bronze. He collected simple, inexpensive items from small-time Paris dealers and flea-markets, often things picked up during his travels in Spain and North Africa. Matisse didn’t collect rare or valuable objects – he couldn’t afford to. Offering what curator Ann Dumas calls an “intimate insight” into Matisse’s world, we are invited to tease out for ourselves the significance of these personal objects and the works of art they inspired. The Royal Academy’s forthcoming exhibition Matisse in the Studio seeks to contextualise the work of one of modernism's best-loved artists, displaying 65 of his paintings alongside around 35 objects from his studio. A good actor can have a part in ten different plays an object can play a role in ten different pictures.” It is quite natural that you want to protect this most treasured possession of yours from harsh weather conditions, burglars and even from the envious eyes of your neighbors. “I have worked all my life before the same objects,” wrote French artist Henri Matisse in 1951. “The object is an actor. An RV is one of your lifes biggest financial investments, and it has a lot of emotional value attached, too. An artist’s studio offers a tantalising glimpse into a private ritualised space, often filled with the detritus of a working life but also with personal totems of inspiration. The objects with which we surround ourselves articulate our lives, our interests, our desires often our hopes and our fears.
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