Get Started
There are four pairs of works by Matisse and Picasso for you to study. Both artists were extremely prolific during their long careers. Their art went through many transformations and involved a wide range of materials, including the invention of new techniques such as collage. This project does not attempt to cover all aspects of their work, instead we hope to provide you with a starting point for further exploration. The four pairs investigate a few key aspects of their work and reveal both common interests and differences of approach.
If you have some useful sight, then we recommend you try the Text and Animation version first. To enhance your experience of Matisse and Picasso, animation has been used to highlight and simplify key aspects of the artworks.
The text only version is intended to be used in conjunction with i-Map's raised drawings. Click here to download the drawings.
Text and Animation Version
Navigating the Animated Pages
For the benefit of non-mouse users, you can navigate these pages using your keyboard. If you intend to do this, please familiarise yourself with the relevant keys before you begin. The keys you will use are as follows:
D will take you one step back in the animated sequence.
F will move you on a step. You will find that this is the key you will be using most often.
J takes you out of the animation and back to this page where you may select another artwork to study.
K calls up a full view of the artwork. Most of the animation will show you close-ups of the artwork, so this button is useful to remind yourself of the image as a whole. Click K once to bring up Full View, and again to return to the animation.
Occasionally you will also be asked to use your SPACE BAR. You will be prompted as to when in the text.
Animation Loading
When an animated sequence is loading you will hear a repeating bleep sound. This will repeat until the animation is ready. The animations have been designed to load quickly, but a short wait is normal. If you revisit the animation a second time, you will normally find that the loading time is much shorter.
Frames
If you are using text reader software such as JAWS, you may like to know that the animated pages use frames. The page is made up of three frames. The frames in which the text and animation appear in are named 'text' and 'animation' respectively. A third frame contains the artist's name, the title of the work and various credit details. This frame is labelled 'title.'
Text Only
Raised Images
Pages are numbered in Braille. The numbers appear in the top right corner of the page. The majority of drawings use a portrait format. The exception is drawings that accompany Matisse's 'The Moroccans' which are all, except Image 5, designed using a landscape format. Here, the image should be turned so that the number appears in the bottom right corner.