2012/01/30

This weekend we went to The High in Atlanta to see the exhibit Picasso to Warhol. Excellent exhibit.

I was especially impressed by the cutouts of Henri Matisse. It really felt like they were influential in cartoon styles of the mid 1900s. One work reminded me specifically of the Charlie Brown specials, or the interstitials from Sesame Street.

Side-by-side comparison of Matisse and Charlie Brown

Compare the whimsical style of the stars in both images. I haven't watched the Charlie Brown Christmas Special in years, yet my brain makes this connection. I was always fascinated by the scene where Charlie and Linus are tree shopping. The designs of the trees are so abstract that it always felt, even as a child, that the style was influenced by fine art.

Abstract trees in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special