East – West Colorature

#95011     48″ X 66″     ac

• Matisse: “The Roumanian Blouse” (1939-40)
• Chinese folkloric Art

One of the evident manifestation in so-called “Western Modern Art” is its integration of different esthetic sources out of Western culture. Japanese Ukiyo-e has been an inspiration to Impressionism while African art, to Cubism. Some European avant-gardes referred to Oceanian, Arabic, and Russian folk arts which resulted in the formation of Expressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract art. Matisse is regarded as the most Orient-oriented artist after his development toward Fauvism, though his influence was actually come from Islamic culture. Many artists in Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China find in Matisse’s art some characteristics so familiar to their tradition: the flat-colored treatment and the black contour, lines with eloquent expression. The bold black dots and lines in some of Matisse’s sketches and paintings of later period are so powerful and expressive that we may compare them to Chinese and Japanese calligraphy in frenze-cursive handwriting.

Yet the Oriental artists are mostly fond of Matisse’s colors and coloration. One may say that Matisse released the Occidental three-dimensional painting to two-dimensional flat art, though we may trace back its three-dimensional origin and observation. The process of simplification in one hand and the intention to create a new “reality” out of colors from the tubes and not to depict meticulously the real objects, no matter figure, landscape or fruits etc., let Matisse to establish his personal style and expression which in some of his works are quite akin to the Oriental taste in general. This is why Matisse becomes so popular in the East and his influence as well as encouragement to the Asian artists are enormous.

In this “East-West Coloratura”, Dr. T. F. Chen purposely integrated Matisse’s “The Roumanian Blouse” into an assemblage of Chinese folklore. In such kind of art, prime colors are put directly on the surface and they are suggestive instead of descriptive while contours are black lines in description. Its composition used to be decorative and content, conventional, following a tradition of social education and religious teaching.

As an art form, the Chinese folk art distinguishes itself by strong coloration, flat and even, harmonious or contrast, and particular stylization, rich in variety. These two characteristics are parallel, in some aspect, to Matisse’s developed personal expression. This is why T. F. Chen can unite Matisse with some sort of Chinese art.

In this new “East-West Coloratura”, instead of the ziczac pattern on the Roumanian blouse, Chen put an imaginary bouquet on the lady’s hand and beneath them a plate of fruits a la Matisse. Amid the folklore assemblage there are two immortals “Ho” and “Hop” on the left and the “Eight Immortals” (some not appeared here) on the right hand side, both from Taoist mythology. In China flower and fruit patterns and dragon-phoenix designs are richly varied through development of thousand years. Here in this painting, it seems that Matisse’s lady feel quite at home in such a Chinese ambiance.

Indeed, T. F. Chen had made a series of artworks inspired by Oriental folk art in Paris just before he launched his signature-style of Neo-Iconography which combined East and West, past and present, tradition and modern into an aspect of post-modern manifestation.

by T. F. and Julie Chen