Widely recognized as a painter first, and then a sculptor, Matisse himself has been quoted saying; “I did my sculpture as a painter. I did not work as a sculptor.”
But the expansive Matisse: Painter as Sculpture exhibit at SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) brings a new definition to the word multitalented. Though Matisse’s sculpture has always been overshadowed by his broadly renowned brightly colored paintings and cutouts, it by no means should undermine his sculptural genius, and the Matisse: Painter as Sculpture exhibit is first hand proof of his talent. Set up on an expansive high ceilinged floor in MOMA, Matisse’s art flourishes with side by side presentations of his sculpture, works on paper, and work by artists who were either influenced by him or that he was influenced by. Artistic idols included in the exhibit are from the likes of masters Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Constantin Brancusi, and Auguste Rodin. The presence of these artists’ creations not only richened the context of the show, but accented the kind of influence they had on Matisse’s livelihood as a sculpture.
Matisse was highly influenced by the master sculpture, Auguste Rodin, and this can be viewed in his early rendition of The Serf, situated proudly next to Rodin’s Jean d’Aire from Burghers of Calais. When Matisse obtained a plaster bust by Rodin in 1899, he started to immerse himself in Rodin’s work, and learned from the sculptor himself in his studio. Thus when The Serf emerged, it had an influential resemblance—sans the nuances that only Matisse’s hands could procure—of Rodin’s Jean d’Aire from Burghers of Calais. This starting foundation for the exhibit shows the natural progression and maturation of his work—The Serf being in the early stages of his sculptural endeavors.
The show contains more than forty sculptures by Matisse produced throughout his expansive career. Organized into themed groups, it is harmonized with selections of his works on paper. What is ideal about the Matisse exhibit is that his paintings represent the important role they play in the evolution of his sculptures—and vice versa. The Reclining Nude 1 exemplifies a nymph-like reclining woman—her muscular body distorted oddly, the clay smoothed with fingerprints and indents that exemplify texture and the way his fingers formed the figure. This sculpture accompanied by the complex painting, Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra, exemplifies how every degree of his work may be distinct, but that his painting and sculpture are bonded in a way that is evident when the pictorial is viewed with the multi dimensional.
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