EXHIBITION RECORD

Henri Matisse
An Illustrative Homage to Homer

Saturday, December 7, 2002 through Thursday, March 20, 2003

The Appleton Museum of Art

Exhibition at the Appleton Museum of Art focuses on the relationship word and image in Henri Matisse: An Illustrative Homage to Homer.

This exhibition, which includes six original etchings by Matisse, explores the artist’s creative process through preliminary sketches leading up to final prints. The etchings were commissioned by the Limited Editions Club to illustrate a volume of Joyce’s Ulysses. This volume is the only American publication of Matisse’s illustrations.

George Macy, the volume’s designer asked Matisse to produce the images for Ulysses. The marriage of Joyce’s text, considered the pinnacle of the Modernist movement, to Matisse’s illustrations, which the artist felt were among the best work he had done in the graphic arts, is a rare and important example of the union between word and image.

One of the ironies of this suite of prints is that, instead of depicting scenes from Joyce’s Ulysses, Matisse chose to illustrate scenes described in Homer’s Odyssey. This exhibition will explore the relationship between word and image and how these illustrations might have functioned within the context of Joyce’s text and how each of these artists brings use their creative forces to pay homage to Homer.

One event from the epics illustrated in this exhibition is Nausicaa. The suite of drawings and the final print show Matisse’s working process. You can see monumentality and detail of his figures in the initial group studies. By the time he reached the final stage, details have been eliminated and harmonic line defines form and composition.

The works are on loan from the collection of Drs. Michele and Fred A. White. The couple, who practice oral medicine and surgery, collect art with the intention of preserving works for public enjoyment.