Matisse & his objects

As I try to find footing in my dissertation research again (my attention span and energy levels have been wildly oscillating for a while now) I am inspired by a recent article I came across on Hyperallergic discussing an exhibition at the Musem of Fine Arts, Boston that focuses on the objects that influence Matisse's artwork and artmaking process. The exhibition is called "Matisse in the Studio" and it is apparently one of the first exhibitions to look into the objects that inspired Matisse's artworks. Because my dissertation research details the importance and agency of material and the materiality of artmaking, this exhibition is of particular interest! The exhibition, through a display of objects and artworks, creates a connection between the stuff and space Matisse surrounded himself with and the artworks that emerged through his "entanglement" with his artistic environment. The influence of things and space has long been ignored, particularly when art historians address an artists work. This exhibition seeks to rectify that oversight through five thematic sections titled “The Object Is an Actor,” “The Nude,” “The Face,” “Studio as Theatre,” and “Essential Forms.” My research aims to show the importance and active participation that the material of artmaking and the material of living have on not only our lives but an artist's approach to artmaking practice. This exhibition takes an extremely well-known and respected artist in Matisse and allows patrons of his work to develop a deeper understanding of his process and practice. 
 
The article: The Eclectic Objects that Inspired Matisse’s Art by Debbie Hagan
The exhibition: Matisse in the Studio 

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