Paintings of Matisse. French artist Henri Matisse

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The famous French artist Matisse lived a long life, during which he created many paintings, graphic works, sculptural compositions from ceramics and panels, including decoupage. His work was duly appreciated by contemporaries all over the world, although often his innovative methods became the cause of fierce controversy.

Youth

Henri Matisse was born in northern France in 1869 to a prosperous grain merchant. He inherited his love for art from his mother, who was fond of artistic painting of ceramics. Although, according to tradition, it was Henri (as the eldest son) who was to become the head of the family business, after graduating from the Henri Martin Lyceum in Saint-Quentin, he went to the capital to study law at the famous School of Law Sciences. In 1888, Matisse received a law degree and, returning to his hometown, began working as a clerk for a local barrister.

First steps in art

Probably, Matisse would have made a good career in law, if not for the occasion. The fact is that in 1889 the young man was hospitalized with an acute attack of appendicitis and was forced to spend a long two months of the postoperative period there. To entertain her son, Madame Matisse gave him watercolors, and he began to pass the time copying colored postcards. This occupation so fascinated the young man that after being discharged from the hospital, he told his parents about his firm intention to become an artist. Despite the resistance of his father, Henri enrolled in a drawing school in the city of Tours, where draftsmen were trained to work in the textile industry. At the same time, he continued to practice law.

Study in Paris

In 1892, Matisse decides to devote himself to painting. To this end, he again goes to Paris and enters the Julian Academy, where he studies first with A. Bouguereau, and then at the School of Fine Arts with G. Moreau. The latter predicts a bright future for him and is one of the first to note the innovation of the young artist, expressed in bold combinations of different colors. During this period, the artist Matisse often spends his days in the Louvre, copying the masterpieces of old masters and famous artists of the 19th century, which, according to his confession, made in old age, greatly helped the master in his future work.

Impressionist period

Since 1896, Matisse's paintings began to be exhibited in the famous salons of Paris, and he gained some fame among Parisian art lovers. During this period, the artist was strongly influenced by the Impressionists and theirfollowers. Moreover, very often, when talking about the creations of post-impressionists, experts cite as an example some of the works that Matisse created: still lifes “Bottle of Schiedam”, “Fruit and Coffee Pot”, “Dessert”, “Dishes and Fruit”.

In the next few years, the artist also begins to sculpt and work in the technique of divisionism, which involves the use of separate point strokes. In 1905, the painting style of Matisse's painting “Luxury, Peace and Voluptuousness”, in which he combines Art Nouveau decorativism with pointillism, causes great controversy.

Fauvism

Considering the work of Matisse, one cannot fail to mention the new direction of painting, the founder of which was this artist. It's about fauvism. They started talking about him as an extremely interesting phenomenon after the autumn Salon of 1905. For this exhibition, Matisse painted several works, including the famous painting “Woman in a Green Hat”. In addition, during the first decade of the 20th century, the artist became actively interested in African sculpture, Arabic decorative art and Japanese woodcuts, and soon ethnic motifs began to penetrate his painting. However, this did not prevent specialists from considering the works of this period as an integral part of Fauvism.

Matisse Academy

In 1908 in Paris, the artist founded a private school of painting. It was called the Matisse Academy, and during the time he taught there, 100 students fromFrance and other European countries. Education at school was free, as the artist did not pursue commercial goals and only wanted to pass on his vision of art to the younger generation.

In parallel with teaching, Matisse painted pictures. So, he created three decorative panels for the Moscow house of the famous Russian collector S. I. Shchukin. In particular, his work "Dance", which can be seen today in the Hermitage, is considered one of the most famous works of the painter.

Creativity between the two world wars

In 1920, the artist creates sketches of costumes and scenery for the ballet "The Nightingale" by I. Stravinsky and writes the cycle "Odalisques" in imitation of Renoir. Matisse's paintings of this period, in particular Compote and Flowers, bring him fame among American art lovers. Ten years later, the artist goes to Tahiti, and then creates a panel depicting eight dancing figures for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. In the process of working on sketches for this monumental work, he often uses the decoupage technique. Then he meets his main muse - Lydia Delectorskaya, relations with which become the reason for a divorce from Madame Matisse. Portraits of a young Russian emigrant, in which the artist expressed all the ardor of his late passion, today adorn the best museums in the world, they can also be seen in Russia.

Life during the years of occupation

The Second World War was an ordeal for Matisse. By the will of fate, he remains in Nice all alone, away from the children, and his only consolation is LydiaDelectorskaya. Fortunately, the liberation of France by the Allies saves the artist's daughter and ex-wife from death, who were detained by the Gestapo for anti-fascist activities.

“Chappella Rosary”

In 1948-1953 the artist is working on the interior design of the Roser chapel in Vence. Today it is known as the Rosary Chapel. In this last work, the master synthesized all the best that was in his work in previous years.

The walls of the chapel are covered with white glazed slabs depicting St. Dominic as a figure without a face 4.5 m high and the Holy Virgin with baby Jesus. You can also see scenes of the Last Judgment, made only in black paint, and the image of the sky crowns the chapel, above which an openwork cross hovers.

Features of creativity

Matisse's paintings were usually painted in series, as the artist, striving for perfection, created several versions of the same work at once. The main themes of the works are dances, pastorals, musical instruments, beautiful vases with juicy fruits, exotic vessels, carpets and colorful fabrics, as well as views from the window.

To convey the pleasure of color and beauty of external forms - this is the main goal pursued by Matisse. The paintings, whose names you are already familiar with, are today adornments of private collections and museums around the world, as well as breaking price records at auctions.

Works exhibited in the museums of our country

You are interested in technology, inwhich Matisse wrote? Paintings (with names, of course) can be seen in Russia. In particular, several paintings by this artist, such as Blue Pot and Lemon, Dishes on the Table, View of Collioure, etc., are exhibited in the Hermitage. In addition, the Museum Pushkin, such works as “Red Fish” and “Blue Jug” are kept.