PopUp Painting’s ‘artist of the week’ is Henre Matisse.
Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) was a French artist known for his bold brushstrokes and unique use of colour. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter.
Matisse was credited as being one of the central artists in the Fauvist movement, an art movement that existed prior to Cubism. The group known as the Fauvists (‘wild beasts’), which included Derain and Braque, sought to move away from the pictorial language which had encompassed the impressionist movement which proceeded it. The artists instead developed a free style of painting where the colours used represented the images, but without being overly representational. Matisse became known for his bright emotive colours and bold brush strokes. Traits of Fauvism continued in Matisse’s work throughout his career, however particularly in his latter years the artist moved towards flat plains of colour and a playful use of pictorial space. Henre Matisse created work right up until his death in 1954, during his final years the artist used sticks and swatches of coloured paper to create his works from his wheelchair.
Matisse’s mastery in the language of colour and drawing won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art and his influence is still palpable in contemporary art today.
We will be featuring Henre Matisse’s work all week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as holding Matisse painting events where you can try to recreate your own masterpiece, find your nearest event here.
In the meantime here in a selection of our favourite works by the artist: