The Styles of Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse was one of my favourite artists when I was in 6th form and had left the safety net of realistic art. One of the leading figures of modern art despite starting off fairly safe and realistic, Matisse experimented with Fauvism, Divisionism, Collage and Interior Design.

Fauvism:

From the French 'Fauve' - meaning 'wild beast', the movement lasted from 1904 till 1908, Matisse being one of the leading figures. Inspired by Impressionism, Fauvism uses the same style of bright and expressive colours, yet differs because the colours of the painting have no regards to the natural colours, whereas Impressionist art still suggests the original colour. Matisse and other artists who made art within the movement are regarded as 'Fauves' because Louis Vauxcelles, a critic of the time, commented on an exhibition of Fauve work as 'Donatello parmi les fauves!' (Donatello among the wild beasts!), referring to the Renaissance type sculpture in the room of the exhibition. The movement faced harsh criticism, but today it is what Matisse is most known for!

Woman with a Hat (1905)

Portrait of Madame Matisse (1906)

Blue Nude (1907)

Divisionism:

Also a Neo-Impressionist movement, the style of Divisionism involves not painting by mixing colours, but instead implying tones by separating colour and applying paint with dots and stripes. The movement began with Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-6), and the style was used in the late 19th and early 20th century by prominent artists such as Robert Delaunay, Vincent van Gogh and Matisse.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-6) - Georges Seurat

Les toits de Collioure (1905) - Matisse

Self Portrait with a Felt Hat (1888) - Van Gogh

Collage:

In the 1940s Matisse was diagnosed with cancer and had to start using a wheelchair. Despite being incredibly ill, Matisse found a new lease of life through paper cut outs. His paper cut outs, often on an enormous scale, were made using the scissors freehand to make shapes. After cutting the shapes, Matisse would pin the paper to the walls of his studio and arrange the forms into an arrangement Matisse found most appropriate. In 1947, Matisse published a book Jazz full of his paper cut outs.

Blue Nude (1952)

The Fall of Icarus (1943)

The Snail (1953)

La Gerbe (1953)

Interior Design:

In 1947, Matisse was asked by Sister Jacques-Marie to design the interior of the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, a church in the French riviera. The end project is very obviously Matisse, the figures and the stain glass very similar to his paper cut outs. Possibly one of the biggest jobs of Matisse's life, the design took 4 years to complete, and Matisse died a few years after its completion.

Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie