thoughtcrumbs

Matisse's textiles

According to the Matisse exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artist most likely didn't see an oil painting until his twenties, but grew up surrounded by brightly patterned textiles. A closer look at his work reveals his models are swathed in ornate robes, bodies draped between tapestries and curtains. Curvy odalisques pose on striped divans; the fabric and human form take equal prominence in the artist's eyes. Included in the exhibition are fabrics and costumes from Matisse's private collection, hidden since the Matisse's death in 1954.

And speaking of patterns, Svetlana and I make our own faux-Matisse on the Met's roof garden. On the right is Matisse's "Moorish Screen":