Art School: From Henri Matisse's Cut Outs to Rough Cut

Parklands, 2014 Elizabeth Hazan Dispersed PIgment on Canvas

rough cut collage

While a blockbuster show of Henri Matisse's cut-outs, where the famed artist created a new art form from paper collage, took place in an uptown museum, downtown the Morgan Lehman Gallery explored the notion of collage as a tool used by artists to aid in the creation of their finished works.

Both exhibitions proved to be equally fascinating. I have already done my post on Henri Matisse and his beautiful cut-outs.  Today, I want to share the work of some of the artists shown at the Morgan Lehman Gallery in their recent exhibition entitled Rough Cut  to explore how they used some means of collage as a launching pad for their finished paintings.

Rough Cut featured several artists and each uses collage differently.  Elizabeth Hazan, the artist shown in the first photo and a co-curator of the show starts her work by laying out an aerial landscape of shaped papers on her studio floor.  Here is the collage mounted on foam core that led to her lovely work "Parklands" featured above. Hazan explains that her "collages lead to paintings where I become both cartographer and painter..."  Her paintings are reinterpreted landscapes of her travels, drawn from memory.

Study for Parklands, 2014 Mixed Media on Paper Mounted on Foamcore

The idea for Rough Cut initially grew from the work of artist Carrie Moyer.  In a 2011 exhibition, Moyer exhibited taped black and white studies along side her  explosive full color work that stemmed from them.  Moyer executes her paintings with the canvas on the floor, Jackson Pollock style, by pouring, rolling, mopping, stippling and handworking the paint. Sometimes she even adds glitter. Her vibrant work "Yes Rays" was accomplished in this manner but sprang from a controlled group of small studies in collage that she executed at a table.

"Yes Rays", 2013 Carrie Moyer

Small collage studies by Carrie Moyer to the left of her painting.

Artist Sangram Majumdar uses digital collage in marker, charcoal and pastel before executing his work in oil.

"Underwater Electric Greenhouse" Sangram Majumdar Oil on Linen

I find his studies as beautiful as the finished work.

Two studies by Sangram Majumdar for Underwater Electric Greenhouse, marker, charcoal and pastel on digital collage

Finally, artist Amy Park's watercolor cityscapes begin with her own photographs of the architecture around her.  She captures the facades of modernist buildings and later combines elements from  her small photos to create  amalgamated, large scale paintings that reflect her urban experience.  Be sure to compare the dimensions of the tiny inspirational photos and the finished paintings. I love these paintings and would kill for one in our apartment, but I dare not suggest it so soon after acquiring my gorgeous Christmas present.

NYC Collage, 2014 Watercolor on Paper Mounted on Dibond

Here is a small photo that partially inspired the painting above.

Study for NYC Collage, 2014 Amy Park Photo 5.5h x 4.5w in

Another painting by Amy Park followed by one of the small inspirational snapshots.

NYC Collage #2, 2014 Amy Park Watercolor on Paper mounted on Dibond

Study for NYC Collage #2, 2014 Amy Park Photo 4.5h x 4w in

I find insights into artists' creative process endlessly fascinating.  Do you agree?

Love this image of Amy Park's studio. Talk about bringing the outside in.

All photos courtesy of the Morghan Lehman Gallery except for the image showing Carrie Moyer's collages which came from gallerytravelsblogspot.com and the image of Amy Park's studio from her website.