*Amor Fati" © 2021 by Tami Han
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
why I love Henry Matisse's Painting
This is a painting that was inspired by Henri Matisse's painting Dance created in 1910. It was a cold, dreading winter time. The uncertainty of whether I would get into the art university that was hoping to get into, I could not resist self-doubt and fear of failure.
However, Matisse's paintings gave me incomprehensible courage. Each moment I gazed at his bold strokes, at that moment, I felt delightful liberation from the nonsensical perfectionism that would constantly suffocate me. So, a few months before the portfolio was due, I took the paintbrush for the first time and made my bold move. It was indeed a bold move but also an extremely risky one without a solid foundation. Nevertheless, I believed the only way to re-create that bold and raw strokes, full of fearlessness, was to paint it in my interpretation. And thus, Present: Adversity was born.
Here I am today, still in love with Matisse's artworks. As I resume my journey as a painter, I feel as though he is throwing more challenges at me. For instance, I've been attempting to re-create our reality in my perception more rather than relying so much on the captured view of our photography. Again I have to learn to trust my vision and through that perceive the world and let the brush stroke lead it. Frankly, I learned it through observing his paintings.
What is so genius about Matisse is that his bold strokes appear to be simple yet are capable of representing the complexity of life. I felt as though the philosophy of his work can intertwine with Einstein's theory of special relativity where the simple equation: e=mc2 contain the complexity of the Universal truth.
In comparison, Matisse's painting can capture three-dimensional space. I can feel the depth in his simple, primary choice of colours. The harmonistic combination of tones captures the light and dark.
Furthermore, the gesture of the lady in the painting feels alive and dynamic. I feel as if every brush stroke he made was intentional.
