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Rio 2016 Logo – A Henri Matisse Copycat?

You are here: Home / Witty / Commentary / Rio 2016 Logo – A Henri Matisse Copycat?
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January 10, 2011 by Jimson Lee 4 Comments

Last Updated on November 21, 2011 by Jimson Lee

Rio_2016_logo

On New Year’s Eve 2010, the Rio 2016 LOC unveiled the logo for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games (see photo, left)

Over 139 design firms participated from Brazil, then short listed to 8 finalists.

At first, I thought the logo resembled a thong (I do have a one Track mind – get it?) but upon closer inspection, it resembled 3 coloured people in a circle holding hands and feet interlocking.

They should have used 5 coloured people, the same colours as the Olympic logo rings, representing each continent.

But wait, if they did that, it would look strikingly similar to the 1909 or 1910 paintings by Henri Matisse titled “The Dance”.  See image below.

the_dance_henri_matisseThe New Rio 2016 Website describes the logo as:

"…the passionate carioca soul that extends an embrace and shares its friendship, in a collective and warm gesture, which expresses our impassioned way of celebrating.  Passion and transformation of a city and an entire country, fuelled by the renovation of the Olympic spirit, to project Brazil and Rio de Janeiro to the world.  Passion and transformation of our planet and its people, by promoting a more interdependent, conscious and sustainable culture, as an inspiration to the present and a legacy for the future."

What are your thoughts?  A copycat, or you simply cannot trademark dancing people?

See also  How to Race the Indoor 600 meters

Category iconCommentary,  Life & Culture,  Olympic History,  Track & Field,  Witty

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

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Comments

  1. Fred says

    January 10, 2011 at 9:27 am

    Hello Jimson,

    Absolutely love the logo. Everything about is grand from the top creative image to the very stylish script to the classic 5 ring Olympic branding at the bottom. Perfect. The logo, the colors and the lines simply and cleverly incorporate and intertwine the spirit of Brazil and the Olympic movement. If Matisse was the inspiration or his artwork was used as the template, all the better. Certainly the artist(s) and/or designer(s) were completely aware of the similarities with regards to content and composition. And this kind of controversy would be healthy and bring attention to both the Olympics and Matisse.

    As far as the legality of said painting by Matisse titled: “La danse” is concerned, this from wikipedia.org:
    “This image is in the public domain in the United States. In most cases, this means that it was first published prior to January 1, 1923 (see the template documentation for more cases). Other jurisdictions may have other rules, and this image might not be in the public domain outside the United States.”

    I don’t know how the jurisprudence applies to the case in Switzerland (Olympic headquarters) or Brazil, but I’m sure their lawyers approved after much thought and the retention of legal fees were certified. Laugh.

    About the history of Matisse’s painting from themasterpiececards.com:

    “Matisse later commented that his acquisition of Cezanne’s Bathers was profoundly influential.
    This influence is plainly visible in two of the most famous paintings by Matisse, the pendant, or paired, works known as Dance (La Danse) and Music (La Musique). Both art paintings were commissioned in 1909 by the Russian merchant, Sergei Shchukin, who was a leading collector of late 19th and early 20th century art.”

    “In 1910, Matisse submitted La Danse and La Musique for the Salon d’Automne, the Salon or art exhibition organized in 1903 as an alternative to the more conservative Paris Salon. Although Matisse’s monumental nudes were gender-neutral, his pair of art paintings nonetheless provoked a far-reaching scandal culminating with Shchukin’s rejection of them. He intended for La Danse and La Musique to adorn the stairwell of his Moscow house, the Troubetzkoy Palace (above right), but claimed that the sexuality of these art paintings would offend his daughters and Russian friends. After protestations from Matisse, Shchukin recanted after one “explicit” portion was “touched up”.”

    So in reality, the 2016 Rio Oympics logo can be traced further back to Paul Cézanne’s work. The great thing about artists is the fact that all of them borrow from each other throughout all the centuries whether they like it or not. I would say that the same thing could be said of sprinters. And thankfully so.

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      January 11, 2011 at 12:40 am

      @Fred – good points. Every Olympics gets tougher and tougher trying to out do the previous Games. Especially the Opening Ceremonies. The logo is clean and neat.

      Reply
  2. Fred says

    January 11, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Of course you are 100% correct on the copycat point. Most of us working in the image reproduction industries such as photography, video, film, and the fine arts need to be aware of other’s creations so we may give due credit, seek proper clearances of images and incorporate exemplary business ethics. Whenever we are not being respectful of others property rights, we sadly lower our self esteem and spiritual being.

    I would not want the responsibility of directing the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics. I couldn’t begin to fathom the logistics involved in pulling that job off.

    Reply
  3. rio says

    February 26, 2013 at 3:40 am

    In Rio Botanic Gardens Hommage a Matisse Alice Pittaluga is a sculpture making no apologies for being after Matisse
    It is called La Dance Bonecos dançando this is probably from this maybe without realising

    Reply

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