Matisse x Experienced by Joas Nebe at FONDATION BEYELER
Vedica Art Studios and Gallery
30 days left
Matisse as the pillar saint of modernity, before whom Picasso harbored a deep fear, as Matisse had already accomplished the transformation of the human image from a depiction to a cipher. While Picasso needed over 700 preliminary drafts in sketch form for his groundbreaking work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Matisse seemed to effortlessly shake the transformation of the human form from depiction to cipher out of his sleeve. At least, it appeared that way.
"Matisse’s female portraits, such as L’Italienne (The Italian Woman) or À l’écharpe blanche (The White Scarf) from 1916 and 1909, raise questions." - Joas Nebe
Matisse, naturally well-known in France, his homeland, but largely unfamiliar in the German-speaking parts of Europe. Thus, the Fondation Beyeler fills a gap. Bravo!
Sure, 90 percent of the displayed images are part of the collective cultural unconscious. His cut-outs, especially the algae motifs, endlessly replicated in posters and available in every hardware store, are overexposed to the point of exhaustion. But the rest? A treasure waiting to be discovered. There are images, representations, reproductions that destroy the original. The more a visual work appears in various forms—postcards, posters, backdrops for talk shows, and so forth—the more it loses the visual-intellectual stimulus that art is supposed to have. Matisse could thus be considered a victim of his own success, at least for some of his works, most notably the cut-outs.
But what about the rest of his oeuvre, which has rarely been displayed in German-speaking European museums? I recall my visits to the Hamburger Kunsthalle and my encounter with the semi-sculptures of the Backs, embedded in the wall of the entrance hall after the ticket counter. After that, I occasionally saw Matisse’s works in homeopathic doses, but never with the consistency now on display at the Fondation Beyeler.
Matisse- À l´écharpe blance, Paris 1909
Nevertheless, as a media scientist and artist, I am troubled by the widespread separation in art history between mass media products and so-called high art. Perhaps this is just a German or European phenomenon, increasingly fading away like high art itself as an appendage of the much-maligned bourgeois intellectual class.
Lítalienne, Paris, 1916
This is not my opinion, as the bourgeois intellectual class played an important generational role in preserving cultural heritage, which, while difficult to access, was only recognized as such after generations.
Still, my question to the curators of the exhibition at the Fondation—perhaps even an accusation that could apply to nearly all art historians—remains: What is the influence, in both directions, of mass media and their products? Where is Mickey Mouse, or the Fantastic Four?
The connection between comics and Matisse’s depictions of women is particularly intriguing. Matisse’s female portraits, such as L’Italienne (The Italian Woman) or À l’écharpe blanche (The White Scarf) from 1916 and 1909, raise questions. Mickey Mouse, created by Walt Disney in 1928 and disseminated in American mass media, or the Fantastic Four from roughly the same era, are worth considering.
Comic characters are typically constructed from colorful surfaces outlined by black lines, making them instantly recognizable. Naturally, Matisse’s portraits predate the Disney characters or the Fantastic Four. But there were predecessors, and Matisse traveled to the USA. Why wouldn’t Henry Matisse have been aware of them?
Or did Matisse, with his flat colors surrounded by black outlines resembling early mass culture comic heroes, contribute to inventing comic art? Or—as bizarrely seems to happen repeatedly—did the developments occur in parallel? Consider the Skladanowsky brothers, who invented the Kinetoscope in Berlin, while Lumiere developed the same medium in France.
What I am missing, therefore, is a connection to the mass culture of the early 20th century. Thus, I take the liberty of seeing comic figures from the same era across the Atlantic in the Backs, portraits, and group portraits displayed at the Basel exhibition. For me, the Matisse exhibition is also a homage to the mass culture of the early 20th century.
A comprehensive retrospective. Bravo, Beyeler! But the connection to 20th-century pop culture is missing!
Editor - Joas Nebe, Germany
Who is Joas Nebe?
Joas Nebe, born in 1968 in Hamburg, Germany, is a multidisciplinary artist renowned for integrating traditional art techniques with digital media. Based in Staufen, Germany, he works primarily with video art, collages, gouaches, and drawings, crafting pieces that delve into the intersections of literature, nature, and technology. His practice invites viewers to engage with psychological and philosophical themes, reflecting his academic background in Psychology and Media Science.
Joas Nebe, River, 2021. water color on bookpage - 19 x 24cm
Nebe’s work investigates complex communication frameworks, such as the sender-receiver model, exploring human connection and the nuances of language. Significant projects like The Room Project and Leaving a Message the Inefficient Way exemplify his thoughtful multimedia approach. His art has been exhibited globally, including at K-Gold Temporary Gallery in Greece and the Museum Tarii Crisurilor in Romania, and is part of collections such as the van den Ende collection in Amsterdam.
Joas Nebe, (Close up): Untitled #4, 2021. gouache on paper - 35 x 50cm
