Dear Friend, I am deeply interested in an interesting art work “Woman with a hat” by the famous artist Henri Matisse, who is one of my favorites. The canvas was done in the year 1905 and first exhibited at Salon d'Automne in Paris. However, as I intend to see the artwork, I am traveling to San Francesco where the artwork is displayed at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Femme au chapeau 2016). I want to know more about the artist and his work. Fortunately, I live close to San Francesco and drove there on a weekend. I stayed at Park Central Hotel that is quite near to the museum and shops and restaurants. The room cost me about 95 dollars for a night, and it was an easy walk to the museum. Matisse was an influential artist of the modern era, and he experimented with vivid colors and flat shapes, and his work was foundational to Fauvism.The city San Francisco is a great destination, and there is a lot to do and see here. The city is teeming with attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Square and more .There are several well-known museums besides San Francisco Museum of Modern Art such as Museum of the African Diaspora and Cartoon Museum. The landscape and architecture of San Francisco are unique, and one can feel the difference as they walk through it and see an eclectic mix of architecture. The city is known for its rolling hills, excellent food, and cool summers.
Media and Materials “Woman with a Hat” is a half-length portrait that depicts the woman in an elaborate outfit. The canvas measures 80.6 × 59.7 cm and the artist uses the medium of oil for the artwork. His wife, Amélie was used as a model for the artwork. The painting looks very unnatural and gives a mask-like appearance to the woman. I was immediately arrested by the profusion of bright colors on the canvas and those short, powerful brush strokes used by the artist. However, there is no depth in the painting and this brings the women even in closer proximity with the viewer.
Period or Style With “Woman with a Hat”, began a new trend among the artists. Those jarring colors and wild emotions showed no care for natural tones and set a new trend referred to as Fauves. It was as if a splash of colors with a new fervor has been thrown on the canvas. Although the painting gathered harsh criticism from public and press, it grabbed attention because of the new style Henri was definitely taking a risk here by using a new style of painting. He was isolated by the critics for being a class apart from his contemporaries (Spurling 402).
Description of the artwork The right gloved arm of the woman holds a fan and what catches your eye is the elaborate hat that rests daintily over her head. The artist fills the costume of the woman with vibrant colors and makes use of short but powerful brush strokes. The portrait shows the new styles of coloring and use of unnatural colors for the face. The background is filled with different strokes of colors done in different directions.
Artist Biography
Henri Matisse was born in a small textile town in 1869 and his parents worked in Paris as stated by Spurling (4). He studied law in Paris but his discovery of his true profession came after his bout with appendicitis when he started painting in his free time. He made progressive learnings after taking lessons of classical painting.
Compare and Contrast outside Influences
Fauvism, the first art movement of the 20h century brought together a group of artists during the era, who were known for their bold use of bright colors in their work. The painters were not too bothered with the representation of the real objects and looked inwards for emotional inspiration (Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse 2016). The artists were adopting loosely organized brushstrokes but without disturbing the grace of the portrait genre.
Conclusion
“Woman with a Hat” comes across as a fine portrait and one can compare the artwork with the ingratiating images of women during the period. The artwork can be seen at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. My visit to the city and the museums was a promising one, and I came back with an enriched experience.
Works Cited
"Attractions." parkcentralsf. 2016. Web. 1 May. 2016.
"Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), 1905." artsy. 2016. Web. 1 May. 2016.
Spurling, Hilary. "The Unknown Matisse: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Early Years, 1869- 1908." University of California Press 1.1 (2001): 1-505. Print
"Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse." galleryintell. 2016. Web. 1 May. 2016.
