Henri Matisse Born: December 31, 1869 Died: November 3, 1954

Matisse’s Life  Henri Matisse was born in France in  He studied law in Paris, but in 1891 he abandoned law and began studying art.  When Henri Matisse was 21 years old he became seriously ill.  During the phase of convalescence Matisse started painting and discovered his love for art, which should become his life-long passion.  He drew and painted in a daily routine every day, even from his sickbed.

Matisse’s Art  His early works were realistic figures and objects with shading and life-like colors.  Later, his colors brightened and his paintings became more abstract.  He was one of the founders of the Fauvist style of art  Uses pure, vibrant colors in unusual, unnatural ways. Interior with Eggplants What is your impression of this painting?

Matisse’s Art  Matisse also created stained glass, sculpture and cut-paper designs.  Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Tiari (Le Tiaré), 1930 Bronze Refers to the Tahitian gardenia, a lush and aromatic tropical flower. Do you see flowers or a woman?

Vocabulary Definitions  Still Life  Art based on an arrangement of non- moving, non-living objects, such as fruit, flowers or bottles. A still life is usually portrayed in an indoor setting.  Pure Colors  Intense (spectral) colors seen in the rainbow when light passes through a prism – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet.

Henri Matisse Interior at Collioure (1905) What do you see in this painting? How does contrast add drama to this piece? How is the suggestion of distance achieved?

Henri Matisse’s Still Life with Geraniums, 1910 Look at the pure colors in this painting. What colors do you see? Describe the intensity and values of the colors. Colors are related to feelings and moods. For example, blue is calm and relaxing, while reds, oranges and yellows are exciting What is the mood or tone of this painting?

Matisse’s Interior with Etruscan Vase, 1940  How does Matisse balance this composition?  Do lines play a major role in this work?  What was Matisse more interested in, color or texture? Defend your answer.  Is there a center of interest?  How does contrast add drama to this piece?  How did Matisse keep the figure from blending in with the window?

Looking at the Art  How does Matisse balance this composition?  Do lines play a major role in this work?  What was Matisse more interested in, color or texture? Defend your answer.  Colors are related to feelings and moods. For example, blue is calm and relaxing, while reds, oranges and yellows are exciting What is the mood or tone of this painting?  How is the suggestion of distance achieved?

Matisse Quotes  “A picture must possess a real power to generate light and for a long time now I've been conscious of expressing myself through light or rather in light.”  “To find joy in the sky, the trees, the flowers… There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

What We Will Be Doing  Draw the shapes in your still life using pencil. Your drawings should show only the main shapes without details.  You can stand up to paint and begin painting the largest shapes first with large brushes.  Paint the basic colors of your objects first, then mix variations of that color for highlights and shadows.  Use small brushes last for fine lines or details.  Think about your style of painting  Do you allow some of your brushstrokes to show or carefully blend related colors?  Some artists squint at their work to see how colors and brushstrokes look from a distance.