Henri Matisse

Artist Name: Henri Matisse
French, 1869 – 1954

Henri Matisse is famous for his use of colors and a front figure for modern art. Matisse, together with Marcel Duchamp & Picasso was responsible for the revolutionary development in painting and sculpture at their time. He is mostly known as a painter but was also a printmaker, sculptor, glass-maker & a drafter (Henrimatisse, 2019).

Art styles: Fauvism & Modernism
Inspiration: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Edouard Manet & Paul Cezanne (Henrimatisse, 2019)
Associated with: Bright colors, paper cut outs & “one line” faces

Facts: Henri Matisse was born in France, 1869. His parents owned a flower business. Matisse originally studied law in Paris but then in 1889 he discovered his love for painting, when his mother got him art supplies. Then he went to Paris to study art and this made his father disappointed. Matisse first started painting landscapes in a very traditional style. He started using brighter colors after he spent the summer of 1904 in St.Tropez. The same year Matisse met Pablo Picasso. They became life-long friends and competitors. The two of them are often compared. The difference is that Matisse often painted from nature, while Picasso painted more from his imagination. They both painted women and still life most of the time, though Matisse liked to place his figure in fully realized interior. In 1905, Matisse and a group of artists known as ”Fauves” did a exhibition together. They all used ”wild” colors and Matisse was seen as the leader of the Fauves. Matisse was always engaged in collaborations with other artists. In 1941 he started using a wheelchair and creating cut paper collages. Matisse died of a heart attack at the age of 84 (Henrimatisse, 2019). 

Do I like his art? YES! I am a huge fan of Henri Matisse! He is one of my all time favorites. I love that he uses so much color and that brave enough to go against the “norms” of art at the time. Me and my family went to The Matisse Museum in Nice, in France, where I got to see Nu Blue. The museum was in his old house and the building was magical.

References: Henrimatisse, (2019), Henri Matisse Biography. Retrieved from https://www.henrimatisse.org