Matisse, Henri (1947). The Burial of Pierrot [stencil painting]. © 2008 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society, New York.

This painting reminds me of a postcard; it’s playful and not as simple as it looks. The background is reduced to a motif of tree-symbols; this sense of repetition is continued with small tear-shaped figures arranged in a pattern around the outer boundary. The carriage repeats the rearing motion of the horses drawing it. | 

Natural, well-defined shapes create this composition: A profile-view of a horse-drawn carriage. These shapes are underpinned by stark colors and patterns created by careful object arrangement. Like most works of abstraction, this one is infused with motion and energy, as will be described.

A passing glance implies a decorative sense of balance, which is valid. Upon further study, it becomes clear that the three rectangular shapes are spatially placed to organize the picture plane into three fields: frame (white), foreground (black) and background (magenta). The close-edge and merged shape treatment of the horses is particularly strong in how it implies more than one horse is present. It also provides a link between the background and foreground together with the forging of the tree-shape to the rear-most horse.

While there is an unmistakable vitality to this painting, the incised definition of the flattened shapes and static rectangles result in a solidly stable composition. Biomorphic shapes dominate; even the rectangular shapes that order space take on a living character. Repetition through similar shapes create a sense of rhythm and motion, with interest installed by changing the color of one of the shapes in the tree line. The surrounding pattern is infused with variety through differences in color and object orientation.

The careful clockwise rotation of the two subject elements give them life. Their trotting sense of movement is implied by the perimeter decorations. They are a sliver oversized for the framework they are placed in, which actually creates more excitement in their shapes. The picture plane begins (or repeats) the inscribed angular shape pattern, a strong compositional choice.

I believe one of the underappreciated strengths of this work is its distillation of artistic elements essentially to shape. Shape is used on its own terms, not used to flesh out textures and their edges are not blended with the dimensions of color. Patterns and rhythm are created to strong, intuitive effect, but based on solid shape treatment alone.