Apollo 1953

Curator: Henri Matisse's "Apollo," created in 1953, immediately strikes you with its vibrancy, doesn't it? It practically pulses with colour. Editor: Yes! The colours just leap out. It feels joyous, almost childish in its simplicity. Like someone took a bunch of colourful paper cut-outs and made a summer festival on canvas. Curator: What intrigues me is the mythic dimension—the depiction of Apollo as a figure. Here we see Matisse grappling with ideas of the classical in the context of modernism. What readings can we give to his Apollo, a modernist deity stripped down to almost minimalist expression? Editor: Mmm, "minimalist" might be too strong a word for my taste, because this canvas also screams “more is more”. Just look at all these shapes! You know, for me, it’s less about grand narratives and more about how Matisse took something so monumental, like Greek mythology, and made it so approachable. There’s an innocence here that is very telling. Curator: True. The geometric stylization could point towards a reflection on form and function, possibly influenced by his engagement with abstraction, in the wake of the second world war, which shifted away from traditional approaches to figurative imagery, pushing into a zone of emotion and free associations... Editor: I like that "free associations!" Yeah! All the different elements kind of dance around. Like Apollo's essence has exploded outwards, scattering those floral fireworks everywhere! Curator: Right. The fresco technique gives a grounding to his explorations, a literal connection to a longer historical period in art and design—while the choice of medium suggests some attempt at bridging art historical practice with contemporary material experiments... Editor: Hmmm...I keep circling back to that central face... that unwavering look…it sort of haunts this carnival of colour. Almost reminds me of that bittersweet feeling after a particularly euphoric parade! Curator: Indeed, an enduring theme is that such works don't provide simple meanings, allowing different individuals to have varying emotional and interpretive experiences. Editor: Right! It seems we found completely different stories about a canvas full of colours... and well... both have the potential of being true.