Henri Matisse

By Denise Jackson

• Henri Matisse (1869 – 1953) was one of the most important painters of the twentieth century.

• Matisse was born in the northern France, but unlike most artists, Henri did not show any interest in art while he was growing up.

• Henri grew up in his parents general store and went to law school, but found law very boring.

• When Henri was recovering from appendicitis, his mother gave him a box of paints to give him something to do. This was when Matisse discovered how much he loved art.

• This was the most important moment in Henri Matisse’s life. He was no longer bored and found a love of painting.

• After Henri recovered from his illness he took an assistant lawyer job and took art courses each morning before work.

• It wasn’t long before Henri Matisse decided to become a full time artist. His parents were not happy about his choice, but Henri was able to talk them into letting him study art in Paris, France.

• Henri had a tough time in art school. He had a lot of catching up to do, starting at a late age. He failed some important exams, and didn’t get along with his teachers.

• Art students were instructed to paint carefully and in dark colors but Henri Matisse kept thinking there might be something new he could to do to his paintings.

• Henri was introduced to Impressionist art by one of his teachers. He liked how they used bright dabs of colors.

• He began to use more bright colors in his paintings.

• Henri soon left art school to paint on his own. His colors became brighter and brighter.

• During the years Henri Matisse was experimenting with his art, he wasn’t able to sell many paintings at all.

• Henri met and married his wife, Amelie and they had two sons, during this time. They were poor and hungry waiting for Henri’s paintings to sell.

• In 1905 Henri and some friends put some of their colorful paintings into an art show. The art caused an uproar.

• People were shocked and thought the artists just slopped wild colors on the canvas.

• A writer who saw the show named the artists the Fauves, a French word that means “wild beasts”.

• The Fauve period lasted only a short time for Henri Matisse. He moved away from the bright clashing color and began to use calmer colors and decorative lines.

• He wanted his artwork to give people pleasure and be soothing. By perfectly balancing simple shapes and beautiful colors, his painting seem to make you feel good all over.

• Sometimes Henri Matisse added decorative lines and colorful patterns to his paintings and he often let the plain white canvas show through. This gives the colors a bright, sparkling feel.

• In his later years, when most artist slow down, Henri surprised people by creating art that was fresher and more colorful than ever before!

• As an artist, Henri was much more than a painter. He was famous for his sculptures and line drawings, too.

• When he was older and had trouble standing at his easel, Matisse switched to a new form of art that could be done sitting.

• Henri cut shapes from brightly colored paper to make some of his most exciting art ever.

• He said it was like drawing with scissors and sculpting with color.

• Henri lived to be 84 years old. By the time he died, his artwork was know all over the word.

Bibliography

Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Henri Matisse by Mike Venezia