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Abstract
Proust's readers and Matisse's admirers will notice that some passages of A la Recherche du temps perdu look like descriptions of Matisse's paintings. Art historians such as Jack Flam, Pierre Schneider and Marcelin Pleynet drew analogies between Matisse and Proust; however, so far, no research has been undertaken on the relations between Proust's work and Matisse's painting.
The goal of this study is neither to show that both artists were bound to know each other, nor to compare their biographies in detail, but to emphasize the Matissian features contained in A la Recherche du temps perdu and the Proustian aspects of Matisse's paintings. In fact, the writer and the painter reveal a new vision of the world through their art. The work of art plays an important part in Proust's aesthetic theories as well as in his novel A la Recherche du temps perdu, where images, pictural references and descriptions of paintings abound. Thus the writer composes some sentences which evolve into paintings. As for Matisse, he creates his own syntax and his work constitutes a reflection on life.
Our research is divided into two parts: the first one presents the aesthetic theories of Proust and Matisse, underlining their similarities and differences, and the second one deals with four themes (the workshop, the inside-out, the music and the flower women) treated by both artists in their works.
Finally, the design of this study is to determine the time beyond, which is realized through the act of creation. Therefore, we will emphasize two dimensions in their works: the vocation of the artist and the search for a spiritual experience.
