Day 49 - Less is more

It is interesting, and initially surprising, that Matisse described La Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence as the crowning achievement of his entire career.

Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) was 82 when the chapel which he designed was inaugurated. He had been an established and respected artist for over 50 years; a post-impressionist who in his early years had developed a reputation, and some artistic notoriety, for the intense use of colour in his paintings. However, in his 70’s surgery for abdominal cancer left him reliant on a wheelchair and often bed bound. He could no longer cope with the physical exertions of painting and sculpture but instead turned his energies and creativity to other forms of art. He started doing cut-out paper collages and decoupage, using assistants to help him bring his creations to life. It was this skill, and a lifetime’s experience, that he brought to bear when asked, aged 78, to design La Chapelle du Rosaire.

Matisse used line and form to create a simplicity and a serenity to the chapel's design. Light streams through vibrant stained-glass windows, bathing the interior in a kaleidoscope of colour. I have never been fortunate to be able to visit La Chapelle, but those who have speak of how the space feels both spiritual and uplifting, fulfilling Matisse's wish that all who enter should feel purified and relieved of their burdens.

All this from an elderly and frail man who may have lost much of his physical ability, but nothing of his vision. Indeed, perhaps it was that very frailty, coupled with his rich life experience, that were essential for him to bring that vision to life.

You could say that, in La Chapelle du Rosaire, Matisse created more from less.

This puts me in mind of something my dad used to say. A Christian, he once said to me that as he got older, he believed more and more, about less and less. They are words I have pondered over the years and, as I get older, the more wisdom I see they hold. There is so much wisdom and teaching contained within the pages of the Bible, never mind the writings of Christian scholars, preachers and commentators. It can be sometimes overwhelming and bewildering, and that is before we try to understand this alongside what we see in our world; the love, witness, ministry and lived experience in people of other faiths and none.

It was Jesus himself who summed up the heart of his own teaching and message most clearly. When asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”, he replied:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” (Matthew 22: 37-39)

Matisse distilled all his artistic vision and genius into a single and simple concept. In the same way, we would do well to seek out the heart of Jesus’s teaching. As we do this, these verses from Matthew’s gospel are a good place for us to start ... and maybe also to finish.

Philip Clarke