Drawing With Scissors – I Just Didn’t Get It.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Paisley, one of many throughout this summer, and I felt I was taking a trip to see some ‘grown up ‘ art.  And as such, I should appreciate it.  This was a timely reminder in why I don’t do ‘shoulds’.  Because I just didn’t get it.

Before I visited the Matisse Exhibition, Drawing With Scissors, at Paisley Museum and Art Galleries  I had been reeled in by Matise’s words, ‘the paper cut-out allows me to draw in the colour’.  Iwas intrigued and I was on my way.

I’m not sure what I was expecting to see.  Perhaps my expectations had been heightened by pieces I’d recently added to my pinterest boards.

Now that's what I call 'Drawing with Scissors'!

I found the whole exhibition to be pretty basic and disappointing.  Allowances may perhaps be made for the fact that these works were completed by Matisse as he lay in his sick bed toward the end of his life, 1950-54. (Matisse died in 1954).  Not wishing to be too harsh but I’m sure many an art project of a similair style may have been put together by a child home from school and needing some entertainment to soothe the boredom.  I’m not sure what it is about this exhibition that has stayed with me.  Perhaps the vibrancy of the colours or my wonder at the stark simplicity of the pieces, who knows – perhaps you should see it for yourself to find out.

Your visit would be enhanced further by the ever present Paisley Pattern and Weaving Galleries and by the current ‘Generation’Exhibition, tracing the development of Contemporary Art over the last 25 years.  Now some of these pieces were starkly simple but I got the point. 

This is more of a what other people made Hand Made Monday piece, all the same I'm off to see what everyone else has been up to, it's been a while...

The Matisse Exhibition remains at the Galleries until 28 September, with Generation running till 5 October, finishing just before we get to see some more Lego Brilliance with Brick Wonders opening 11 October.

Namaste

Catherine x