Matisse cut out silhouettes

http://www.livingneighborhoods.org/pics/fifteen/matissebluenude.jpg

After looking at silhouettes on book covers i decided to look at matisse's cutout collages which contain the simplified shapes i'd like to manipulate in my own design.There is a certain amount of playfulness to his artwork which is elucidated by the random proportions used to generate the figures.
The piece above is very elongated which directs the eye upwards and i really like how outline has been generated by the segmentation of the shapes which elucidates the importance of the white. the curve of the leg is exceptionally disproportionate to the rest of the portrait but it directs the eye round this curve is somewhat mirrored by the arm giving the piece a sense of balance.

http://easybynature.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/icarus-matisse.jpg

'Icarus'- this piece is one of my favourites mostly because i love the primary colours used, the rich blue of the background really contrasts with the golden spiky shapes (possibly supposed to be feathers). again all of the figures appendages are disproportionate which integrates a playful element. i like the roughness to the silhouette which i think it makes the shape more interesting. i plan on using paper to create some of my designs in order to generate a similar effect.  

http://www.thecityreview.com/s02simp1q.gif

the red shape on the chest instantly reminds me of blood splatter which incorporates a real sense of movement and drama. i really like the left hand image, the curve of the back almost contains the figure within a circular shape which is broken by the line of the outer leg. this figure retains a lot of its proportionality in comparison to the right hand one. the separation of letters makes it harder to read the text but the cutout hand drawn style of font correlates with the rest of the piece. i much prefer the blue background in the piece above to this mint green which isn't a bold enough shade to match the boldness of the silhouettes.