Matisse, the Colors That Stay with You
- JungYeol Kim
- Apr 1
- 1 min read
I’ve been visiting art museums since high school. Maybe I thought it made me look cool. But back then, museums weren’t exactly enjoyable. Still, I kept going to exhibitions—kind of like how people watch films at CineCube in Gwanghwamun just for the aesthetic.
But over time, as the visits piled up and I got older, museums actually became fun. My ability to appreciate art improved, even if just a little, and I got to know enough artists to carry a conversation beyond surface-level observations.
I must have seen Matisse’s works in person even when I was still going to museums just for show. But it wasn’t until 2022 or 2023 in Osaka that his art truly became a joy to me. My friends Hyunjong, Inho, and I were just looking for a place to kill time—there wasn’t much open that day—so we ended up at a museum. There, I saw Matisse’s original cut-out (collage) works, and the colors struck me. So vivid yet so gentle. We loved it so much we went through the entire exhibition twice. Those dynamic compositions, those striking yet soft hues! Photos 14 to 20 were taken during that visit.
The Matisse you see in books is already an old man, yet he never stopped creating. He kept cutting and pasting, over and over—sometimes in large shapes, sometimes small. His process was simple, instinctive, and full of energy. A genius who was also relentlessly diligent.
And above all, Matisse’s colors never feel harsh. I particularly love the palette of the jumping rope figure in the fourth photo—so universal, so effortlessly appealing.
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