Drawing with scissors, like Matisse

Mady by Evelina, 11 years old

You need:

1. white drawing paper A4 size
2. coloured paper
3. white sheet
4. scissors and glue

Henri Matisse was the most important French painter of the 20th century, rivaling Picasso in his influence. His background was diverse. He studied under Bouguereau and Gustave Moreau and experimented with pointillism, which he found rigidly confining. Later, building on the work of Cézanne and Gauguin, he and Andre Derain developed Fauvism, a much freer and more expressive style of painting which was in fact the forerunner of expressionism.
In the last years of his life Matisse can't paint anymore, and he focuses on cutting out shapes from painted paper.

Show some works by Matisse zien, especially his cutting works, and discuss them. Tje artwork for this lesson is 'Polynesie la mer', a underwater scene in white, light and dark blue. What do you see in this artwork? What shapes have been used? Show the organic shapes. Are there any geometric shapes? Look at the white framework, as part of the artwork. What kind of shapes do you see? Why did Matisse choose these shapes?

Distribute the supplies. Every child gets a white sheet of drawing paper, tho halves of coloured paper in the colours they choose and a white sheet of copy paper. Divide the coloured paper in four pieces, cut them and paste them on the white drawing sheet. Fold the copy paper and cut a frame with organic shapes. Cut water animals and plants out of the rest of the copy paper. Do'n draw first, cut directly. Arrange the several parts on your coloured sheet and paste them. Paste the frame carefully.

Made by students from 10-11 years old