Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Made by Irina SelivanovaRIMO-206

The main idea is…

… to prove that Matisse was an all-round, curious, noble person and a gifted artist.

Contents

1. Henri Matisse – a remarkable artist2. Some surprising and amazing facts3. From pointillism to fauvism4. Not only a painter…5. Success and fame6. Henri Matisse – a family man7. The best friend8. A curious tourist9. Two rivals – Matisse and Picasso10. The last days of Henry Matisse11. Conclusion12. Links

1. Henri Matisse – a remarkable artist

• Henri Matisse is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

• His stylistic innovations (along with those of Pablo Picasso) fundamentally altered the course of modern art and affected the art of several generations of younger painters.

The Painter’s Family, 1911.

If my story were ever to be written truthfully from start to finish, it would amaze everyone.

Henri Matisse.

2. Some surprising and amazing facts

• He was a lawyer.• His mother encouraged him to paint.• He began to paint at the age of 21.• He changed his painting style several

times.• He was internationally popular

during his lifetime. • After surgery in 1941, Matisse was

bedridden, nevertheless, he continued to work from a bed in his studio.

3. From pointillism to fauvism

• Matisse began to show his work in large group exhibitions in Paris in the mid-1890s.

• In 1901 he stopped exhibiting and began submitting his art to another style – pointillism.

• However, Matisse had a major creative breakthrough in the years 1904-1905 – he became a fauvist.

3. From pointillism to fauvism

Woman with a Parasol, 1905 Asia, 1946

The difference between these pictures is obvious. However, all his works are exciting and tremendous.

4. NOT ONLY A PAINTER…

He was not only an excellent painter, but also a talented sculptor, printmaker and writer.

That’s why we can call him an all-round artist.

5. SUCCESS AND FAME

After finding his own style, Matisse enjoyed a greater degree of success.

He was able to travel around the world for inspiration.

He bought a large studio in a suburb of Paris.

His art was purchased by prominent collectors such as Gertrude Stein in Paris and the Russian businessman Sergei Shchukin, who commissioned Matisse’s important pair of paintings Dance I and Music.

The most famous pictures – “Dance” and “Music”, 1909-1910

6. Henri Matisse – a family man

• In 1898 Henri Matisse, when he was 28, married Amelie Noemie Alexandrine Parayre, whom he used as a model for many of his most memorable portraits.

• Mrs. Matisse was very devoted to her husband and urged him to pursue his work - work that she recognized was a true passion for him.

• He had 3 children: one daughter and two sons.

The Woman with the Hat, 1905

6. HENRI MATISSE – A FAMILY MAN

Matisse told his wife: “I love you dearly, mademoiselle; but I shall always love painting more.”

He also wrote to his son in 1941: “I love my family, truly, dearly and profoundly”.

Sometimes their relations were stormy, however, their marriage was not unhappy.

The wife helped him to work and played an important part in his life.

Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, 1913

7. THE BEST FRIEND

The most beautiful correspondence of the 20th century – Matisse and André Rouveyre tells the story of a significant friendship.

Matisse and Rouveyre met as young students in Paris at the end of the 1890s, but the courses of their lives quickly became very different.

Only when they coincidentally met again during the war, after Matisse’s operation, did their close friendship develop.

A drawing of André Rouveyre, a French writer

8. A CURIOUS TOURIST

Henri Matisse visited a lot of countries: Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, Taiti, Corsica, the USA and even Russia.

The Riverbank, 1910.

A memorable trip to Russia

• 1911 - Matisse arrived in Moscow.

• He visited the Tretyakov Gallery.

• Matisse was delighted by the icons and declared that to see them had been more than worth the arduous trip.

• He spent much of his time in Moscow frantically visiting monasteries, churches, convents, and collections of sacred images.

9. Two rivals – Matisse and Picasso

• Matisse and Picasso were competing for attention toward their works of art.

• Matisse, being the elder, was sensitive to the fact that despite the age difference Picasso was going to be in competition with him not only for the patronage of the Steins but also within the world of modern art.

10. The last days of Henri Matisse

• Matisse died of a heart attack at the age of 84.

• Until the day of his death, Henri Matisse never stopped pursuing art with a keen and fresh eye.

• He was also one of the select few artists in history who achieved acclaim and fortune during his lifetime, not posthumously.

11. CONCLUSION

Matisse is a remarkable painter, an all-round person, a good family man and a wonderful friend.

His paintings and drawings became popular during his life time.

His rival was Picasso but he respected him. He visited a lot of countries including Russia. He lived 85 years and is still one of the most famous

and favorable French artists.

12. Links

• http://www.henri-matisse.net/biography.html• http://www.henrimatisse.org/• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2002.456.115• http://www.renoirinc.com/biography/artists/matisse.htm• http://www.matisse-picasso.org/