Purple Robe and Anemones by Henri Matisse

Purple Robe and Anemones by Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a modern artist from France
who was known for his rich, bright colors and
abstract patterns. He was a part of the Fauves,
which means “Wild Beast” in French! I suspect
that many of his peers thought his approach to
art quite interesting.
Purple Robe and Anemones was painted in
1937 and is a wonderful example of Matisse’s
work. I have a large poster of this piece in my
art room which is really helpful in creating this
lesson. If you can, pick up a copy of this print.
For a great website to introduce Matisse’s
artwork to children, check out. Matisse for Kids It
requires a Flash Player but it’s a great
interactive site. As for books, I love When
Pigasso Met Mootisse. It’s a comical story of the
relationship between Pablo Picasso and Matisse
but it also illustrates Matisse’s artistic style in a
way children can relate too.
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Supplies
• 12” x 18” white paper
• black oil pastel
• tempera paints (black,
flesh, primary and
secondary plus white)
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12"
1"
3"
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2"
1. I like to start these types of drawings
with a black oil pastel instead of a
pencil. I want to encourage the
students to draw large loose shapes
and not worry about details, which is
encouraged when using a pencil and
eraser.
2. After drawing the lady and anemones
(see drawing handout), start to paint
the background, the lady, the vase and
table. Set out a palette of tempera
paints (white, red, blue, yellow, brown
and green.) I like to add a tub of flesh
color paint and a tub of black paint.
3. Try to add all the big blocks of color
now and wait to the paint dries before
adding any pattern. The only exception
to this is the white stripes on the robe.
Purple paint was mixed and applied in
stripes to achieve the striped
appearance.
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13"
4"
5"
4. The children painted everything except the
anemones. Then, dipped their paintbrushes into the
tempera paint and used a variety of techniques for
flowers.
5. Some children added a second layer over their
dried paint and then scratched off part of the
surface for an added detail. I loved the designs this
created. You can see in painting #4 that the table
was etched in this manner and in #5, the wall and in
#6, the vase.
6"
6. The final step is to use a small brush and trace over
all lines with black paint. This is what Matisse did with
many of his paintings and I think it gives such a
striking look to the children’s work.
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.deepspacesparkle.com
14"
Tempera Paints
I prefer using white plastic 6-well palettes for this
type of project. It means that the kids need to
share and that they need to keep the paints
clean for their neighbor, but by fifth grade, the
kids know how to do this pretty well.
Don’t be afraid of changing up the paint colors
a bit. I like to add a bit of yellow to my red
(straight into the bottle!) and shake it up before
pouring into the tray. You can see in the photo
that I added some yellow to the green as well.
You do not have to do this as kids will mix their
own paints, but sometimes it’s fun to tweak the
shade a bit.
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.deepspacesparkle.com
15"
How to Draw Purple Robes and Anemones
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.deepspacesparkle.com
16"
Purple Robe and Anemones by Fifth Grade
Deep Space Sparkle/Modern Masters
©DEEPSPACESPARKLE/PATTY PALMER/2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
www.deepspacesparkle.com
17"