Matisse's Poets: Critical Performance in the Artist's Book

Henri Matisse used imagery to engage critically with poetry and prose by a diverse range of authors. Kathryn Brown's study argues that the livre dartiste became the privileged means by which Matisse enfolded literature into his own idiom, demonstrating the centrality of his aesthetic to modernist debates about authorship and creativity. Brown also demonstrates the importance of Matisse's self-placement in relation to the French literary canon in the charged political climate of the Second World War and its aftermath.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 392 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Throughout his illustrious career, Henri Matisse employed imagery as a powerful tool to engage critically with poetry and prose written by a diverse array of authors. In her groundbreaking work, Kathryn Brown delves into Matisse's unique position within the literary cross-currents of 20th-century France, exploring the profound influence that reading had on his artistic endeavors across various media. This study argues that the "livre dartiste" emerged as a privileged means through which Matisse seamlessly integrated literature into his own artistic idiom, showcasing the centrality of his aesthetic to modernist debates surrounding authorship and creativity. By meticulously tracing the compositional and interpretive choices Matisse made as a painter, printmaker, and reader in the realm of book production, this study presents a novel theoretical framework for understanding the visual arts' potential to function as a form of literary criticism. It also extends discussions about the gendered dynamics of 20th-century bibliophilia. Furthermore, Brown sheds light on Matisse's strategic self-placement within the French literary canon, particularly in the context of the charged political climate of the Second World War and its aftermath. Through a meticulous blend of archival resources, art history, and literary criticism, this study offers a fresh interpretation of Matisse's artist's books, appealing to art historians, literary scholars, and researchers alike in the fields of book history, modernism, and beyond.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501351396