Curriculum Guide
M atisse
on the L oose
Georgia Bragg
y
ISBN 978-0-285-73570-4 • $16.99 • Delacorte Press
Matisse Jones has finally come face to face
with the work of his famous namesake, the painter
Henri Matisse. The museum where his mother works as
the head of security is hosting an exhibit of the great
French artist. Matisse thought it would be cool to hang
his own artwork—a copy of Henri’s famous painting,
Portrait of Pierre Matisse—on the museum wall just for
a minute. But a tour group comes in and thinks Matisse’s
copy is the real thing! So now Matisse’s painting hangs
in the museum, while the priceless original hangs on
the eccentric Jones family’s den wall. How does a mildmannered sixth grader get himself into such a terrible
mess and, more importantly, how does he get himself
out of it?
Georgia Bragg’s well-crafted story of a boy’s dilemma and the consequences of a single action make for an
entertaining read. In the end, Matisse learns to accept
his zany family and to discover his own artistic path—
important lessons for any young reader.
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Before Reading
Discuss and record on chart paper what might inspire artists to create artwork. Record
suggestions about feelings, environment, and materials generated by the students.
Share a brief biography of the life of artist Henri Matisse (guide page 4). Discuss what
inspired Matisse to create his artwork.
Discussion Questions
The main character, Matisse, is a gifted artist. He hones his artistic skills by copying
paintings by master painters. Is copying a painting a good way to learn about art? What
might be the benefits? The limitations?
Matisse gives in to temptation when the alarm system in the museum is off and he decides to
touch a painting. Why do you think he risked doing something he knew was wrong?
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Can a person still do something wrong even if they do not get caught? Why? Why not?
What might have happened if Matisse had not confessed to taking the original portrait
when he was speaking to Pierre Matisse? Would Matisse have gotten away with taking the
painting?
After Reading
Matisse spends his afternoons copying famous paintings in the art museum where his
mother works. Create your own copy of Portrait of Pierre.
Go to http://www.henri-matisse.net/paintings/bea.html and print out the painting. Using a
ruler, measure and mark horizontal lines across the picture in ½” increments. Repeat the
process by marking ½” vertical lines on the picture so that you end up with a grid drawn
on the picture. Next, using a light pencil, make a grid of 1” squares on a clean sheet of
paper. Using the ½” grid on the picture as a guide, draw the character in enlarged form in
the 1” grid. Erase the grid lines. Finally, paint your copy of Portrait of Pierre, matching
Henri Matisse’s color palette as closely as possible.
If you’re interested in having your students’ copies of Portrait of Pierre posted on Georgia
Bragg’s website, e-mail her for more information at [email protected].
Portrait of Pierre is a portrait of Henri Matisse’s son. Draw or paint a portrait of a
classmate or a self-portrait. Before you get started, look at examples of portraits by the
following famous artists in books or on the internet: Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent Van Gogh,
Mary Cassatt, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, and Rembrandt van Rijn.
Notice the different styles of the portraits you examine:
Which artist used the most detail?
Which portraits are the most abstract? The most realistic?
Which artist used the most colors?
Are just a head and shoulders painted, or a full body?
Are the portaits painted from similar angles?
What differences can you see in portraits by Van Gogh and Rembrandt?
In the story, the children in the Jones family—Matisse, Frida, and Man Ray—are named
after famous artists. Research the work of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, and
Emmanuel Radnitzky, known as Man Ray, an American artist.
Henri Matisse was known for his use of vibrant color. This remained true for the artist
even after he became ill and was no longer able to paint. Later in his life, Matisse turned
to the art of paper collage. He would create his own colored paper that he cut into various
shapes and beautifully arranged on colorful backgrounds.
Think of a favorite animal and use the color found in magazine pictures to create
a Matisse style collage. If you were to make a goldfish, you could hunt through a
magazine to find bits of yellow and orange in a photograph of a sunset or in a photo of a
field of flowers. Cut the shapes needed to make the selected animal from the bits of color
collected from your magazine hunt. Arrange the pieces on colored paper and glue together
to make a collage.
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Matisse finds himself in quite a predicament when he ends up taking the original Matisse
painting to his house. One of his concerns is how to keep the painting from being damaged.
What elements can be damaging to a painting? What might happen to a painting if exposed
to these elements?
Try an experiment to test what effect light might have on artwork. Paint panels
of color (red, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red) horizontally across a rectangular
piece of paper using watercolors and tempra paint. (Experiment with different media as
well!) Cut the paper in half vertically to give two equal sheets of panels of the same colors.
Place one of the papers in a sunny location in your classroom. Place the other paper
in a cupboard or other location away from direct sunlight. Observe and compare what
happens to each set of panels over one week. How do they change? Do the media used
react differently to sun exposure? What might this observation tell you about what might
happen to artwork in museums?
Young Matisse is complimented by Pierre Matisse, son of Henri, when he examines the
original art that Matisse has created with his box of treasures. Each piece—from the Mona
Lisa cut from a magazine to the new police badge—told something important about young
Matisse’s life.
Create your own box of treasures to tell about your life story. Start with a shoebox
and bits of objects that help to represent you—from ticket stubs, photographs, and board
game pieces to pictures cut from magazines, scraps of fabric, and plastic animals—any
treasure that is significant to you. Arrange the pieces in your shoebox to display who you
are. Create a classroom museum showcasing your boxes of treasures.
If possible, schedule a field trip to a local art museum. Observe what types of security
measures are in place to protect the artwork. Are there surveillance cameras? Are there
guards with batons and walkie talkies? Did you go through a security check before entering
the museum?
At the art museum, identify a favorite painting. Record your feelings about the painting
in writing. What in particular draws you to the selected painting? What do you think
inspired the artist to create the artwork? When back in the classroom, write a paragraph
about the painting you selected.
Investigate more information about art heists. Check out the FBI’s website for art
crime at http://www.fbi.gov.hq/arttheft/arttheft.htm.
Georgia Bragg comes from a family of artists. Her father, mother, and brother are working
artists, and she worked as a printmaker, painter, and a storyboard artist before becoming a
writer. “My parents talked about art seven days a week,” she says. “Someone’s latest creation
was always propped up at the dinner table, so I learned about art by osmosis. I didn’t realize
how unique my experience was until I got older.” Georgia Bragg lives in Los Angeles with her
husband and two children. Learn more about her life and work at www.GeorgiaBragg.com.
This curriculum guide was created by Leigh Courtney, Ph.D. She teaches first and second grade in the Global Education program at
a public elementary school in San Diego, California. She holds both master’s and doctoral degrees in education, with an emphasis on
curriculum and instruction.
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Meet Matisse
Have you ever been asked what you might like to be when you grow
up? Well, in the late-1800s young Henri Matisse might have answered
that he planned on being a lawyer when he was an adult. An attack of
appendicitis changed that plan for Matisse when he was 21 years old.
He had already studied in Paris to become a lawyer when he fell ill.
During Matisse’s recuperation, his mother gave him a box of paints.
Matisse discovered that he loved art! He left the idea of being a lawyer
behind and decided instead to apply to art school. At first, he was not
accepted. Eventually, he met fellow artists who loved color as much
as he did and they created wildly colorful paintings. Matisse was part
of this movement of “wild artists” called the fauve movement. Nature,
family, and color inspired Matisse when he painted: “To find joy in the
sky, the trees, the flowers. . . . There are always flowers for those who
want to see them,” he said. In his later life, Matisse turned to the art
of paper collage when it was difficult for him to paint. Henri Matisse
leaves the world with vibrant paintings, collages and stained glass
windows to enjoy.
Visit www.henri-matisse.net to see examples of Matisse’s paintings,
cutouts, and sculptures.
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