Henri Matisse - The Flag Bearer of Fauvism and Modern Art

Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse or Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 at Le Cateau-Cambresis, a commune of Nord Pas -de-Calais, France. One of the most famous French artists of all centuries, Matisse was the senior and a friend of the great painter, Pablo Picasso. Earlier Henri wanted to become a lawyer and therefore studied law at Paris in 1887. He worked as a law clerk for some time. Later though he discovered a passion for colors and decided to pursue his career as a painter. Henri Matisse started painting in 1889. Initially he created Flemish Paintings depicting still life and landscapes, which later graduated to women.

In 1891, Henri Matisse came back to Paris to study art at Académie Julian under the guidance of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Gustave Moreau. Matisse loved bright colors and all of his work depicts that love, which made him different from the other painters the 20th century witnessed. He also said, "Seek the strongest color effect possible, the content is of no importance." In 1897-98, Henri met the painter John Peter Russell who introduced Matisse to Impressionism. This was also the time, when Henri married Amélie Noellie Parayre. They had two sons from the marriage. Marguerite was Henri's daughter out of his pre-marriage affair. His daughter often modeled for his paintings.

In 1904, Henri Matisse held his first solo exhibition at Vollard's Gallery. The "Open Window (1905)," "Woman with a Hat (1905)," "La Dance (1909)," "Music (1910)," "Still Life with Geraniums (1910)," and "The Plum Blossoms (1948)," are some of the most famous paintings of Matisse. 1906-17, the artist produced some of his best paintings. Controversies often surrounded Matisse's audacious works, which at times would deject him. One of his controversial paintings, "Nu Bleu" was burnt at Chicago in 1913. Gertrude Stein, Leo Stein, and Michael Stein were however the strong patrons of Matisse's paintings and held a prolific collection of his. Henri felt quite encouraged due to Steins.

In 1917, Henri shifted his base to Cimiez on the French Riviera, a suburb of the city, Nice. Here his paintings transitioned to Orientalist Odalisque mode. Matisse mastered sensuous beauty and serenity dipped in bright lustrous colors. Henri separated from his wife in 1939. In 1941, Matisse was diagnosed with cancer and was put on wheel chair post surgery. Owing to his inability to paint now, Matisse used scissor to cut the brightly colored papers and arranged those cuts to form beautiful artwork. His Blue Nudes Series is one of such works. Henri also wrote a famous book named "Jazz" in 1947. This book contained about 100 prints of the paper cut outs made by him. Matisse died of heart attack at an age of 84, on November 03, 1954 at Nice, France.