HENRY MATISSE
French painter: draftsman,
printmaker, sculptor, designer
writer; teacher and principal
exponent of Fauvism—a
movement established in
1905 in which bold color is
the most essential element,
Matisse became an artist
after studying law. His
calligraphic abstractions of
natural form grew brighter,
freer, and more energetic
as his work matured.
Color and form This collage is
one of a series of Blue Nudes,
found among many other groups
of spectacular and sometimes vast
papercut drawings. Matisse made
these works as an elderly man
confined to his bed or wheelchair.
They celebrate the culmination of
his lifelong love of brilliant color,
pattern, fabric, and Islamic art.Soothing influence This drawing
expresses the achievement of
Matisse's personal aim: "What I
dream of is an art of balance, purity,
and serenity, devoid of troubling or
depressing subject matter...which
might be...like an appeasing
influence, a mental soother...or
like a good armchair in which
to rest from physical fatigue."Blue Nude 1
1952
413 / 4 x 303 / 4 in (106 x78 cm)
HENRY MATISSE