Matisse - Paperback

by Arthur Cohen (Compiled by), Glenn Mathes (Translator), Henri Matisse (Author)

Step into the radiant world of Henri Matisse (1869-1954), the modern master whose expressive color, graceful line, and lifelong pursuit of visual harmony transformed twentieth-century art. This pocket guide follows Matisse from his daring Fauvist paintings to his portraits, interiors, sculptures, and celebrated paper cut-outs. Learn what to look for in his simplified forms, decorative patterns, fluid contours, and inventive use of color to create mood, rhythm, and balance. Fascinating biographical insights, memorable anecdotes, a personal portrait, and selected quotations reveal the discipline and experimentation behind art that often appears effortless. A spotlight on one acclaimed masterpiece offers a closer examination of the choices that made his work so distinctive and influential. With more than 65 full-color reproductions, this beautifully designed guide provides an uplifting introduction to an artist who found endless creative possibility in color, shape, and the pleasures of looking.

Author Biography

Henri Matisse was a French artist whose revolutionary use of color and simplified form made him one of the central figures of modern art. A leader of Fauvism, he pursued an art of extraordinary visual intensity across painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and his celebrated paper cut-outs. His lifelong exploration of color, line, pattern, and space transformed the possibilities of modern pictorial expression.