AND CUT

 A few months back I visited the Tate Modern with my good friend Zo to see the Matisse ‘The Cut-Outs’ exhibition. As I will be applying to art schools in the autumn I was scouring the exhibit for the next theme for my upcoming work. Not only did I find inspiration hanging from the walls but from the people around me: living in a small city in the east of England does little in providing street style, and the open minded opulence of a city like London. If I had had more time, and possibly more than an IPhone camera I would have stopped some of the people I saw to steal a photo of their outfits, although I did manage to take a few shots when no one was watching- to serve as a fashion reminder. I noticed two Asian men wearing the infamous Issey Miyake neon yellow Bao Bao bag- but in a smaller purse version, rather than the more common tote (I hadn’t seen this bag before so I had to do some research on the train home). I also noticed that London’s population has seemingly gone tote-crazy, which inspired a textile project of mine which I will cover soon.

The exhibition proved Henri Matisse’s devotion to art, a sense of awe rippled throughout the white rooms of the Tate. One of my favorite stories from the exhibit was that a ship builder wanted to purchase Matisse’s entire studio wall to be displayed under glass on an upcoming luxury boat. Matisse declined not because of the wall, but because he was worried about how humidity could effect the paper. Instead he had each work individually sectioned, mounted and framed.

I was surprised to see a film, in an artistic rather than documentary style of the him producing his work- this emphasized the stray from Matisse’s traditional works. As I have created some art films my self, this struck a more personal chord.

Not only the rich colours but the organic shapes of Matisse’s cut-outs inspired some instant sketches and later some photographic tests, but also a theme I am working on for my textiles to do with imposed order on nature. But the Tate is not only an art scene, the Tate modern is a definite location for fashion inspiration, be that the people watching from above, or the annual Topshop Unique shows held in it’s great turbine hall. I had to take a photo of the ant-like people sunbathing below the balcony.

Some of Matisse’s greatest works are these cutouts. What started off as an inconvenience, spurred on some of the greatest works of modern art to date. Matisse has mastered this temperamental medium and created complex art with the curiosity of a child’s eye. Just as Grayson Perry told us in his Reith lectures, Matisse was playing. These pieces look as timeless as when Matisse picked up his scissors and began to draw.

Street-style: A woman with woven hat, tote bag and birkenstocks // Matisse Film // initial sketches and fashion illustrations