Richie Soltis

3/31/15
1A
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was not interested in art when he was a child in a small town in France. He
studied law in Paris when he was older but returned back home when his father asked him to join
the family business. It wasnt until 1889 when he was 20, he became ill and was bed written for
many months and his mother gave him a set of paints was Matisse then interested in art. He
recalled that he had the feeling that [his] life was there and then returned to Paris to study art.
He was then accepted by The French Academy, Pariss top art school. Matisse followed their
strict rules and painted subjects realistically. However, Impressionism was becoming popular in
Paris and Matisse tried it but never embraced the style. But this new way of painting opened
Matisses eyes to Pariss changing art scene.
Matisse and other rebellious artists then began to experiment with color, being frustrated
with the academys rules. They held a group exhibition in 1905 but the audiences were not
impressed. One critic called the artists fauves, which lead to the art style being known as
Fauvism, meaning wild beast. Although it only lasted from 1904 to 1908, Matisse said it
wasnt everything, only the beginning of everything. But in the 1940s, poor health made it
difficult for Matisse to paint so he began to cut shapes from paper to make collages, which he
referred to as cut-outs. He described it as drawing with scissors and felt that it was the purest
expression of his art. Matisses cut-outs are thought to be just as innovative as his Fauvist
paintings and he stands out as one of the first true modern masters among historys great artists.