What Do You See? – 'Nah it doesn't look like a snail' 🐌

We asked kids to tell us what they saw when they looked at a piece of art. They reacted to the art in front of them and told us exactly what they thought.

Someone thought it looked like a tiny person walking over obstacles. Someone else thought it looked like 'square, square, square, and then it's done'. What on earth could this be?

Henri Matisse The Snail 1953 — Henri MatisseThe Snail 1953
© Succession H. Matisse / DACS 2014

Henri Matisse made this giant artwork in 1953.

This artwork is called The Snail. Does it look like a snail's spiralling shell to you? (Pssst there is also a secret tiny snail hidden in the picture – can you see it? If you look very, very closely you might just spot a tiny snail shape on top of the purple square).

The Snail shows Matisse’s interest in bright colour. He has arranged complementary colours alongside each other to create a vibrant effect. For example the green touches the red, and the blue is next to the orange. This makes the picture extra zingy and really attracts your eye's attention!

The Snail is a collage made from pieces of brightly painted paper that have been cut out and stuck onto a canvas. But Matisse also made paintings and sculptures.

Who is Henri Matisse?

What Do You See? – 'Nah it doesn't look like a snail' 🐌

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Click to reveal the artwork

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