When was Henri Matisse born and where did he grow up?
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse was born on New Year's Eve in 1869 into a wealthy grain merchant family in Le Cateau-Cambrésis. He grew up in Bohain-en-Vermandois before studying law in Paris.
Questions about Henri Matisse
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did Henri Matisse discover his passion for art instead of law?
An attack of appendicitis forced Henri Matisse to convalesce at age twenty while recovering from surgery. His mother brought him art supplies which led him to describe the experience as finding paradise inside quiet hours of recovery. This discovery caused him to abandon his legal career to become an artist despite disappointing his father.
What event changed Henri Matisse's color palette and style?
Australian painter John Russell introduced Henri Matisse to Impressionism during a trip to Belle Île off Brittany in 1896. Russell gave him a drawing by Vincent van Gogh that completely changed his style. Henri Matisse abandoned his earth-colored palette for bright colors after learning color theory from Russell.
Why is Henri Matisse associated with the Fauvism movement?
Henri Matisse showed Woman with a Hat at the Salon d'Automne in 1905 alongside other artists now known as Fauves. A critic named Louis Vauxcelles called the sculpture surrounded by wild dissonant colors Donatello among the wild beasts on October 17th when printed in Gil Blas newspaper. The phrase passed into popular usage that same year to define the group.
How did Henri Matisse develop his cut-out technique during illness?
Henri Matisse developed a new art form using paper and scissors after being bedridden for three months following surgery for duodenal cancer in 1941. He began creating cut paper collages with assistants pre-painting sheets of gouache into shapes. These colorful silhouettes formed lively compositions distinct from painting or sculpture including mural-size works like Oceania the Sky created in 1946.
When did Henri Matisse die and where is he buried?
Henri Matisse died on the 3rd of November 1954 at age eighty-four from a heart attack while his final stained-glass window remained on his bedroom wall. He is buried in the cemetery of Monastère Notre Dame de Cimiez in Nice.