Great Moderns: Matisse, Picasso and Bonnard

Synopsis

A collection of three films dedicated to the great modern artists: Pablo Picasso - THE COLOURS OF PASSION, Pierre Bonnard - THE MIMETIC MIMOSA and Henri Matisse - THE RAW NERVE OF COLOUR.

PIcasso : "La Cruxifiction"
The Crucifixion is a rather surprising painting in Picasso’s work. The painter had, in effect, little interest in religious themes. But within a classical representation of Calvary, he placed a number of strange figures. The work, in an enigmatic composition, contains many allusions and also refers to a personal crisis he was undergoing during the period.

Bonnard : " L’Atelier au mimosa"
Square, criss-crossed with numerous slanting lines (the frame of the skylight, the guard-rail in the foreground), and filled with dazzling colours (ultramarine, emerald, orange, pink, and the bright yellow of the mimosa), "Studio with Mimosa" is one of Bonnard’s last great paintings (he died in 1947). It is also one of his consummate masterpieces, magnificent yet somehow enigmatic; and deserves to be looked at in isolation. Yet it has to be seen in the context of all those pictures he painted between 1927 and 1947 in his little house in Le Cannet - the continuous celebration of colour and light, the recurring opposition between indoors and outdoors, the moments of pure, silent meditation. Every corner of the garden, every room in the house - bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, small sitting-room, studio - furnishes clever compositions and mysterious colour combinations. It is a pictorial adventure akin to that of Monet at Giverny, lived out over a period of twenty years, in over 200 paintings.
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s many photographs of the painter at work, the house (now preserved as it was when Bonnard lived there), his painting tools (his china palette, his brushes and paints) and sketchbooks provide a counterpoint to the explorations of the paintings.

Matisse : "La Tristesse du Roi"
Painted in Nice, where the artist lived as of 1949, the work is one of Matisse’s last masterpieces. The painter, immobilized by illness, cut out forms of paper which had previously been covered with gouache, and then guided an assistant, who pinned them to the wall until the artist found a satisfactory disposition. Once again, in this documentary true to the technique developed in the Palettes series, the forms, the colours, context, and genesis of the work are thoroughly analysed.

Series

Palettes, Series

Language

English

Country

France

Subjects

Art

Keywords

art appreciation; Bonnard, Pierre (1867-1947); history of art; Matisse, Henri; modern art; Picasso, Pablo (1881-1973)

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0 PAL

Price

£19.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

90 minutes

Year

2012

Production Company

Name

ARTE France

Email

http://www.arteboutique.com/inputContact.action

Web

http://boutique.arte.tv/ External site opens in new window

Address

STACI
ARTE Boutique 1610
B.P. 59124 - 95074 Cergy Pontoise
France

Notes

An extensive range of programmes broadcast on the French Arte channel, relating to art and culture. Most are only available in French, but some have English audio or subtitles. Sale on Region 2 PAL DVD.

Distributor

Name

Quantum Leap

Notes

The company ceased trading in 2018. It was previously a distributor and online retailer specialising in non-fiction DVD titles on a wide variety of subjects, particularly in the areas of music instruction, music performance, sport instruction, and health. Some titles also available through retail outlets.

 

Available from retail outlets