This week in Art, we completed our artist study on the famous French artist Henry Matisse. Matisse is well known for his modern approach to art and his use of bright, bold colours to express ideas and emotions. Earlier in his life, he worked as a painter and sculptor, but our focus was on the later stage of his career, which inspired some of his most recognisable artwork.
During this time, Henry Matisse developed a technique known as “cut-outs.” These are similar to collages, but instead of using small pieces, he created large, simple shapes that worked together to form striking images. We began our learning by exploring a range of his artwork, carefully observing the shapes, colours and patterns, and discussing what we could see and how the artwork made us feel.
We then studied his cut-out designs in more detail and created our own artwork inspired by his style. The children used scissors to cut a variety of shapes and carefully arranged them on paper to create their own compositions. This activity helped to develop both our cutting skills and our creativity, as well as our ability to think carefully about design and layout.
We were very proud of the amazing cut-out artwork we produced, all inspired by our artist of the term, Henry Matisse.