#decorative mofits

[20thcenturyartgallery]

Decorative Figure on an Ornamental Background

Artist: Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)

Date: 1925-1926

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

Description

In 1921, Matisse equipped his new studio in Nice with a transformable set, made of overlapping fabric panels and a platform covered with rugs, cushions, screens, and other decorative elements. The "ornamental background" against which the "decorative figure" stands out is integrated into this setting, while the nude figure is draped only in white fabric. The rectilinear forms of the model contrast with the arabesques of the decorative motifs. By creating juxtapositions of rhythms and patterns, Matisse deliberately disrupts our perception, making it difficult to distinguish the figure from the background and the various objects placed around it.

[artandthebible]

The Adoration of the Christ Child

Artist: Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (Netherlandish, c. 1470/75-1533)

Artist: Workshop of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (Netherlandish, c. 1470/75-1533)

Date: c. 1515

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States

Description

In this joyous imagining of Jesus’s birth, choirs of angels - each with a different musical attribute - fill the stable with celebratory music. The artist elaborated the setting with luxurious red porphyry and green marble architectural features adorned with floral designs called grotteschi. These organic yet fantastical decorative motifs were inspired by the recent excavation of the Domus Aureus, Emperor Nero’s grand, first-century palace in Rome. Here, these details are likely meant to evoke the tradition that Christ’s birth took place in a stable constructed in the ruins of the biblical king David’s palace.