For today's blog I am going to examine a piece by painter Henri Matisse titled Blue Nude: Souvenir at Biskra. The subject of this painting is very direct, a nude woman with a blue skin tone, lounging in nature. This representation of such a nude makes this painting Avant-Garde. This is a deliberate move away from the depiction of traditional classic nudes that were upheld by the Academy of Art. This particular woman does not show the modesty about her body that we have seen in nudes of the past, and the erotic connections are apparent as well. There is little attention to realism or naturalism in Matisse's painting, both in the human proportion and anatomy but most obviously in his choices of color. He painted his woman blue. Instead he breaks the human body down into much simpler geometric shapes that still form a recognizable human figure. I would like to argue that this is Matisse's attempt at an even more modern nude. When looking at the modern nude depicted in Manet's Olympia, we see a woman shown in modern fashion and surroundings painted in modern, flattened technique. But there are still elements of proportions and realism, especially in use of color, that are present. What Matisse has done in his piece to further modernize his nude is paint her in a new radical technique and style that comes from this idea of Primitivism.
At its core we could say that this piece is primitive just for its separation from western culture and its call back to the past. A woman, totally nude, surrounded by nothing but nature is anything but a depiction of modern time. Primitivism is a simplification. It is a simplification of life as an artist, whose work often shows a simple life from the past, but most importantly it is a simplification of artistic style, technique and appearance. Looking at Blue Nude, the woman is created using simple curved shapes with heavy outline. There is no real attempt at muscle definition or skin folds or fine detail of any kind. Her facial expression is hard to read and even her hair has been reduced to a circle shape on top of her head. All that is shown is enough to communicate a human figure, and more specifically a woman figure. Matisse simplifies his use of color as well, using it to fill space and give the impression of plant life but little more. He does not seem interested in using color to create detail or illusions of light and space. The colors seem to merge more than blend when transitioning from one to the next, making them look more like large shapes of color than shapes seen in nature. He uses the same heavy outline in some places to show what should be seen as ferns or flowers. When seeing this piece as a whole however, all the liberties Mattise took with color, style and technique look intentional and deliberate. The way the woman spans the entire canvas, and the slight angle she is set at bring interest and draw the eye across the whole painting. Even with all of its simplicities, it is very engaging and interesting piece.
The last aspect of Primitivism I would like to mention in regards to this piece is the idea of women shown in nature and the connotations that are associated with them. There are primitive connections to women, especially nude, and the creation of life. Sexuality, fertility and the ability to create new life have been associated with the depiction of women forever. It is simply fact that it is exclusive to the female gender to be able to produce offspring. That particular fact and all the feelings connected to it are almost as primitive and primal as humans get. Depictions of women carry those associations and emit them one way or another, though the artist can subdue or amplify this effect. I would say Gauguin's Manao Tupapau or Manet's Olympia are much more sexually charged than Blue Nude, but Blue Nude is not sexuality free.
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