Henri Matisse

Born: December 31, 1869
City and Country of Origin: Le Cateau, France
Painting School: Fauvist
Art Training: Ecole des Beaux-Arts; Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs; Académie Carrière
Exhibitions: Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (1896); Berthe Weil’s Gallery (1902); Salon d’Automne (1905-06); Salon des Indépendants (1905-06)
Awards:
Major Works: "Goldfish, 1912," "Blue Nude I 1952," "Dance"
Henri Matisse Biography: Henri Emile Benoit Matisse was born into a middle class family. He had studied and begun to practice law when he was bed ridden by an attack of appendicitis. While recuperating he began painting. In 1892 he moved to Paris to begin studying art. His earliest works show an influence of the Pointillists especially Seurat. However, Matisse would continue to experiment eventually settling on a style that utilized large areas of bright almost pure color applied in thin washes over the canvas. The finished paintings lacked even the slightest trace of form or modeling which had been the hallmark of realistic painting throughout the ages. His colors were applied in seemingly chaotic fashion which led the critics to dub the work of the entire group "Fauvists" meaning "wild beasts."
Died: November 3, 1954