Henri Matisse

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A portrait of Henri Matisse (1933)

Henri Matisse (Le Cateau-Cambrésis, Nord, 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French artist known for his use of color and his original ideas.

He is mainly known as a painter, but he was also a draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. Matisse was one of the main artists who helped to create modern art early in the 20th century.[1][2][3][4]

"Matisse created brilliantly colored canvases structured by color applied in a variety of brushwork, ranging from thick impasto [thick paint] to flat areas of pure pigment, sometimes accompanied by a sinuous, arabesque-like line. [This was] the first of the avant-garde movements (1905–7), named "Fauvism" by a contemporary art critic, referring to its use of arbitrary combinations of bright colors and energetic brushwork to structure the composition".[5]

Although he was initially called a Fauve (wild beast), he painted many traditional themes. He painted from life, and his work includes many portraits and other figurative subjects.[6] His mastery of the expressive language of form and color, in work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.[5]

Matisse died of a heart attack in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Tate Modern: Matisse Picasso". Tate.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  2. Adrian Searle (7 May 2002). "Searle, Adrian, A momentous, tremendous exhibition, The Guardian, Tuesday 7 May 2002". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  3. "Trachtman, Paul, Matisse & Picasso, Smithsonian, February 2003". Smithsonianmag.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  4. "Duchamp's urinal tops art survey". news.bbc.co.uk. December 2004. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Magdalena Dabrowski Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Source: Henri Matisse (1869–1954) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art Retrieved June 30, 2010
  6. Wattenmaker, Richard J.; Distel, Anne, et al. 1993. Great French paintings from the Barnes Foundation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p272 ISBN 0-679-40963-7

Other websites[change | change source]