Great Artists
Henri Matisse
Matisse (1869 - 1954) was one of the masters of 20th century art, known for his use of striking color and innovation. Along with Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, he helped define the revolutionary developments in painting and sculpture in the early 20th century.
[Art credit: The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Henri Mattise; www.henrimatisse.org]
Matisse first achieved prominence as the leader of the French movement Fauvism (wild beast) in the early 1900s, so named for the bold colors and brushstrokes of his paintings and those of his contemporaries. By the 1920s, however, he emerged as a Post-Impressionist and was more connected to classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of color and drawing won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art. Although he was friends with Picasso, he didn't pursue Cubism, and instead used color as the foundation for his art. He was quoted as saying he wanted to create art that would be "a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair." Still life and nudes were favorite subjects throughout his career, but he was also a sculptor and, in his later years, he created a series of cut paper collages, including "Icarus," left.
Resources