Henri
Matisse
By Denise Jackson
• Henri
Matisse
(1869 –
1953)
was one
of the
most
important
painters
of the
twentieth
century.
• Matisse was
born in the
northern France,
but unlike most
artists, Henri did
not show any
interest in art
while he was
growing up.
• Henri grew up in
his parents
general store
and went to law
school, but
found law very
boring.
• When Henri was recovering from appendicitis, his
mother gave him a box of paints to give him
something to do. This was when Matisse
discovered how much he loved art.
• This was the most important moment in Henri
Matisse’s life. He was no longer bored and found
a love of painting.
• After Henri recovered
from his illness he
took an assistant
lawyer job and took
art courses each
morning before work.
• It wasn’t long before
Henri Matisse
decided to become a
full time artist. His
parents were not
happy about his
choice, but Henri was
able to talk them into
letting him study art in
Paris, France.
• Henri had a tough
time in art school.
He had a lot of
catching up to do,
starting at a late
age. He failed
some important
exams, and didn’t
get along with his
teachers.
• Art students were
instructed to paint
carefully and in
dark colors but
Henri Matisse kept
thinking there
might be
something new he
could to do to his
paintings.
• Henri was
introduced to
Impressionist art by
one of his teachers.
He liked how they
used bright dabs of
colors.
• He began to use
more bright colors
in his paintings.
• Henri soon left art
school to paint on
his own. His colors
became brighter
and brighter.
• During the years Henri Matisse was experimenting
with his art, he wasn’t able to sell many paintings at
all.
• Henri met and married his wife, Amelie and they had
two sons, during this time. They were poor and
hungry waiting for Henri’s paintings to sell.
• In 1905 Henri and
some friends put
some of their
colorful paintings
into an art show.
The art caused an
uproar.
• People were
shocked and
thought the artists
just slopped wild
colors on the
canvas.
• A writer who saw the
show named the
artists the Fauves, a
French word that
means “wild beasts”.
• The Fauve period
lasted only a short
time for Henri
Matisse. He moved
away from the bright
clashing color and
began to use calmer
colors and decorative
lines.
• He wanted his
artwork to give
people pleasure and
be soothing. By
perfectly balancing
simple shapes and
beautiful colors, his
painting seem to
make you feel good
all over.
• Sometimes Henri Matisse added decorative
lines and colorful patterns to his paintings
and he often let the plain white canvas show
through. This gives the colors a bright,
sparkling feel.
• In his later
years, when
most artist slow
down, Henri
surprised people
by creating art
that was fresher
and more
colorful than
ever before!
• As an artist,
Henri was much
more than a
painter. He was
famous for his
sculptures and
line drawings,
too.
• When he was older
and had trouble
standing at his easel,
Matisse switched to a
new form of art that
could be done sitting.
• Henri cut shapes from
brightly colored paper
to make some of his
most exciting art ever.
• He said it was like
drawing with scissors
and sculpting with
color.
• Henri
lived to
be 84
years old.
By the
time he
died, his
artwork
was know
all over
the word.
Bibliography
Getting to Know the World’s
Greatest Artists: Henri Matisse
by Mike Venezia