First-graders took a good look at Henri Matisse’s Purple Robe and Anemones, and tried to discover what made his work so controversial at the time. After showing them typical art of the early 1900’s, students realized that Matisse’s bright colors, black lines, and patterns all over every surface were anything but typical, and that’s what earned Matisse the nickname “Wild Beast.” Nobody had ever seen anything like his art before!Utilizing printmaking, stamping, drawing, watercolors and tempera paint, students made their own interpretations of Matisse’s work.
