Rex Ray Collage

Rex Ray is a contemporary collage artist from San Francisco.  He started working as a graphic designer, but expanded to collage when he felt he needed to infuse more creativity and freedom into his work.  

There are many connections between Rex Ray's work and Henri Matisse's Collages.  What similarities and differences do you notice between their work? Click here to see more artwork we've done that was inspired by Matisse!

Third and fourth grade artists looked at Rex Ray's work as inspiration for their own collages. We identified four elements that we noticed in many of Rex Ray's pieces. They are:

1. Warm and Cool Colors

2. Texture

3. Organic Shapes

4. Layering, Unity and Composition

We started by painting warm and cool colored papers and collecting textured images from magazines.  Then students used Rex Ray's art to inspire an Organic Shape Doodle.

Collecting #shapes and #doodles inspired by #rexray for our #collages by #gradesthreeandfour #Waitsfieldschool

A photo posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Dec 8, 2015 at 11:31am PST

Then students created their own collages based on Rex Ray's work. Here are some examples of Rex Ray's Collages:

 

Here's a picture of collage-making in-progress.  When we do collage, I try to remember to "Embrace the Chaos!"

#collage inspired by #rexray #inprogress #gradesthreeandfour #Waitsfieldschool

A photo posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Dec 18, 2015 at 11:05am PST

Here are our finished collages! After students photographed their collages, they painted a layer of acrylic gel medium over their work.

Matisse Paper Cut Out Shapes

"It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another. " - Matisse 

First and second grade artists made "shape collections" inspired by Matisse's paper cut outs. 

 

Click here to read more about Henri Matisse from MoMA.org

Click here for an interactive tour of Matisse's work from the Baltimore Museum of Art 

About Henri Matisse 

Henri Matisse grew up in the northern part of France. His father was a grain merchant and strict with Henri. He went to school in Paris and studied law. In 1888 he passed the bar and took a job as a law clerk. 

Becoming a Painter 

In 1889 Henri came down with appendicitis. During his recovery his mother got him some art supplies for something to do. He fell in love with painting and art. He decided he wanted to become an artist. His father was very disappointed. 

Henri began to explore painting. His mother encouraged him not to follow the normal rules of art, but to try out new things and to paint his emotions. 
In 1897, Matisse was introduced to impressionism and to the work of van Gogh. It opened up a new world to Matisse. 

Early Works 

Matisse painted his first masterpiece in 1897. It was called The Dinner Table. He continued to paint being influenced by artists such as van Gogh and Cezanne. He studied the works of J.M.W. Turner as well and even took on some of the style of Pointillism from Seurat. 

Fauvism 

In the early 1900s Matisse developed a new style. He began to paint with bright masses of colors that were freely applied. He used the colors to express emotion often using colors that had nothing to do with the natural colors of the subject. One critic called them "fauves", which meant "wild beasts". The name stuck and their style of art was called Fauvism. 

Cutouts 

In his later years, Matisse began to experiment with cutouts. He would cut out colored paper and make collages. He released a book of these cutouts called Jazz that was very popular. Some of his cutouts have become famous pieces of artwork including The Blue Nude, The Knife Thrower, and Icarus. 

Legacy 

Matisse is considered one of the founders of Fauvism art. He is also considered one of the leading figures of modern art as his paintings and art influenced many artists throughout the 20th century. 

Interesting Facts about Matisse: 

• He was good friends with artist Pablo Picasso. They later became rivals.
• Major patrons of Matisse included Americans Gertrude Stein and the Cone Sisters. They purchased a number of his paintings. He also introduced them to Picasso, whose paintings they also purchased.
• He ran a small art school called Academie Matisse in Paris between 1908 and 1911.
• Some of his paintings have sold for over $20 million.
• Movie star Al Pacino is set to play the role of Henri Matisse in a movie called Masterpiece.

Click here to read more about Henri Matisse from Ducksters.com

Children looking at Matisse's work at the Tate Museum 

Footage of Matisse Making his Paper Cut Outs 

Inspired by "the Goldfish" by Henri Matisse

First and second graders looked at Matisse's goldfish painting.  We talked about Matisse's use of bright colors and patterns.  They used oil pastels and watercolor to observe the resist technique.

Matisse once said,
"I wouldn't mind turning into a vermillion goldfish."

Here is the goldfish by Matisse: