MATISSE

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter and a leading figure in 20th-century modern art. He helped establish Fauvism, a movement characterized by bold, nonnaturalistic color, expressive brushwork, and simplified forms that prioritized emotion over realistic representation.

Born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, Matisse studied law before turning to art in 1890. He moved to Paris, studied at the Académie Julian, and formed connections with other young painters who would challenge academic conventions. His early work ranged from traditional portraits to vivid, experimental canvases that foreshadowed his mature style.

Around 1905, Matisse and his Fauvist contemporaries introduced a radically bright palette and liberated handling of paint. Notable works from this period include Woman with a Hat (1905), The Joy of Life (1905–06), and The Dance (1910). The Red Studio (1911) exemplifies his move toward a more unified organization of color and space, where flat planes of color become architectural elements in the composition.

Throughout his career, Matisse pursued clarity and harmony, often reducing subjects to essential shapes and lines while maintaining a sense of movement and lyricism. In the 1940s, limited by illness, he developed the cut-out method, arranging colored paper shapes into large-scale works such as The Snail (1953).

Matisse’s innovations in color, composition, and form had a lasting impact on modern art, influencing generations of painters, designers, and printmakers. His works are held in major museums worldwide and continue to be central to discussions of modernism.