Art In Action: In Search Of Christmas Art
By Darla McCammon
We finished our “Goblins to Gobbler” series and ate those turkeys; now we will move right into Christmas themes. We are going to explore some of the more amazing and unique art that has been done for this very special season. This week we are going to get a peek at a piece titled “Christmas Eve.” Henri Matisse, the artist of this piece, was not known as a religious person.
In fact, Matisse was quoted with this statement. “I would like to accomplish that people who are tired, strained, broken, may find rest and peace in my paintings.” There’s not one word about a savior who appeared or the reason for the celebration that rings down through the years.
In case you think this painting was a design for a stained glass window, you would be correct. At the time this was created, there was a new crusade called “the art sacre” movement. This was an attempt to get the more famous, but not necessarily religious, art into the churches of the day. Matisse was one of the artists solicited to provide a design. The stained glass window never materialized but the design has lasted in that recognizable style of Matisse with its colorful stars and images that immediately capture our attention. He did name the piece “Christmas Eve” in one concession to the church for which this was created.
Matisse was born in 1869 in France. He was accomplished in printmaking and sculpting but developed revolutionary ideas and work in his beloved paintings. Along with Picasso, he was responsible for a large shift in how patrons viewed and purchased art. He shifted once again in the 1920 time period and merged his new ideas with a more relaxed and traditional approach, which gained him applause and reverence. Enjoy our journey into the famous artists we will visit in this series about artists who have represented Christmas in their work. See you next week!
We are planning an exhibit in January 2019, if possible, of work by Mary Alice Estep. If you have some of her work you would be willing to exhibit on loan to Warsaw City Hall please e-mail me or call and leave a voicemail at my contact numbers below. This should be an outstanding exhibit for our community. Thanks for considering this exhibit and please be patient as I will return your call or e-mail as soon as possible.
Upcoming and Current Events
Please contact Darla McCammon at (574) 527-4044 or at [email protected] if you have an event to mention.
- The LAA member show exhibit with award-winning work is open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Through Dec. 28, photography by Florida artist Darlene Romano will be on display at Warsaw City Hall Gallery, located at 102 S. Buffalo St. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. Online views of more work by this artist can be found at www.darleneromano.com.
- The Gallery at Rua will be on display through Jan. 12, 2019.