Matisse, Henri

(1869-1954)

   painter, sculptor

   one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, particularly through fauvism, Henri Matisse was born in Cateau-Cambrésis and studied law and worked as a notary before deciding, while convalescing from an illness, to dedicate his life to art. He studied at various studios in Paris and copied works at the louvre, while becoming interested also in islamic art. During this period, Matisse's style was traditional, but after a visit to Brittany, he became interested in impressionism and was influenced by the works of paul gauguin, henri de toulouse-lautrec, and paul cézanne. In 1898, he painted nude forms at the Carrière Academy and became interested in sculpture. He still showed the influence of Cézanne (Nus à l'atelier), but then, after a stay in saint-Tropez, developed a more individualistic style (Luxe, Calme et Volupté, 1905). Matisse soon came to a style noted for the use of strong colors over large areas, and the abandonment of traditional perspective, which were to be his trademarks (Gypsy, 1905-06; The Open Window, Collioure, 1905). in autumn 1905, at the Paris salon, he presented with other artists works that were initially pejoratively labeled "fauvist." He soon produced a large painting, The Joy of Life, with strong colors, fluid lines, and disregard of proportions (Bathers with a Turtle). By 1908, when he opened a studio in Paris, he had achieved international recognition. He traveled to Morocco in 1911-12, and the influence is apparent in his works (The Moroccans, 1916). settling then in Nice, he worked in traditional themes and broadened his range of art (tapestries, pottery) in the same colorful and luxuriant style. The request of the Barnes Foundation for a monumental work (The Dance, 1931) marked a new stage in his career. He continued in the use of fluid lines and abstraction (Rose Nude, 1935) and, in a series of papiers découpés (Jazz; Boxeur nègre; Zulma, 1950), a technique that allowed him to "design in color," Matisse further developed the principles that he had set down earlier and that culminated in his decorations for the chapel at Vence (1951). In all his works, Matisse seems to have achieved, as he said in 1908, "an art of equilibrium, purity, and tranquility."