Self-Portrait in a Striped T-shirt, 1906, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
Henri Matisse
French
1869 - 1954
"Creativity takes courage."
Did you know?
One of the most fascinating rivalries in art history is the friendship–rivalry between Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. They constantly watched and challenged each other’s work, sometimes reacting almost immediately. When Matisse pushed color and decorative harmony to radical extremes (Fauvism), Picasso responded by breaking form apart (Cubism). Each time one of them made a breakthrough, the other felt compelled to answer.
Biography
Henri Matisse, the French artist who forever changed the way we see color and line. While he is most famous for his vibrant paintings, Matisse was a true explorer of art, moving effortlessly between drawing, printmaking, and sculpture throughout his long career.
Alongside his contemporary Pablo Picasso, Matisse is seen as a pioneer of the 20th century. Together, they broke the old rules and paved the way for modern art as we know it today.
In his early years, Matisse’s use of bold, intense colors was so shocking that critics nicknamed him and his friends the "wild beasts" (or Fauves). As time went on, he refined his style, falling in love with flattened shapes and intricate, decorative patterns that felt both simple and sophisticated.
Perhaps most inspiring is the story of Matisse’s later years. After facing serious health challenges, he found it difficult to stand at an easel. Rather than putting down his tools, he completely reinvented his process, famously describing his new method as “painting with scissors.”
Using bright, hand-painted sheets of paper, Matisse would cut out shapes and direct his assistants to pin them to the walls. Working from his bed or wheelchair like a conductor leading an orchestra, he created iconic masterpieces like The Snail and Blue Nude II.
For Matisse, these cut-outs were the ultimate achievement, allowing him to find what he called “the precision of drawing and the freedom of color at the same time.” It was the perfect finale to a lifetime dedicated to the joy of creation.