Matisse: A Biography

Author: Chai Guobin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: "Never has anyone mastered the use of lines as skillfully as Matisse in conceiving and shaping forms and everything he desired. His mastery of lines and color has reached a level of perfection, a state of perfection. This radiant brushwork tells us: Henri Matisse is truly the King of Painters." Henri Matisse (1869—1954) was a master of the Fauvist movement and the central figure of Fauvism. The starting point of Fauvism was to have the courage to rediscover pure techniques. In the 20th-century art revolution, Fauvism achieved a decisive victory, and Matisse was a key figure in the boiling period at the beginning of the 20th century, playing a role as the helmsman in the new art movement. Henri Matisse (Henri Matisse, 1869-1954) was born in the small town of Le Cateau-Cambrésis in the south of France. His father was a businessman, and his mother had worked as a painter in a ceramic factory. He spent his youth in Viremont and, after graduating from high school, followed his father's wishes to study law in Paris. After completing his studies, he returned to his hometown and worked as a clerk in a law firm near Saint-Quentin. At the age of 21, he was hospitalized for appendicitis and, to pass the time, his mother gave him a set of paints, brushes, and a self-teaching manual as a gift. In painting, Matisse experienced for the first time a sense of "freedom, tranquility, and peace." Matisse's passion for painting became unstoppable, and a chance encounter became a turning point in his life. In his own words, "I felt as if I was called, and from then on, I no longer ruled my life, but it ruled me." His most influential teacher was Auguste Moreau (Gustave Moreau, 1826-1898), who could be said to have shaped Matisse. Moreau once told Matisse, "In art, the simpler your method, the clearer your feeling." This sentence guided Matisse's painting style, enabling him to use simple lines and vivid colors to shape everything he envisioned, profoundly influencing his lifelong artistic creation. At the Autumn Salon of 1905, Matisse led the Fauves① to achieve widespread fame, where he exhibited "Open Window" (Figure 1) and a portrait of his wife, titled "Woman with a Hat" (Figure 2). "Open Window" is perhaps an example of a theme fully developed, a theme Matisse favored throughout his life. It is just a small part of the wall, with the window occupying a large space. The window frames are wide open to the outside world—the balcony is adorned with flower pots and vines, leading to the sea, sky, and ships. The inner wall and window frames are composed of broad vertical stripes in bright green, blue, purple, and orange; the outdoor world is a decorative pattern of vibrant small strokes. The strokes range from small green dots to slightly wider pale red and white, and the blue of the sea and sky. In this painting, Matisse has far surpassed the "Woman with a Hat" of the Neo-Impressionists and shows subtle signs of color abstraction. Due to the bold abandonment of form in "Woman with a Hat" (Figure 2), it caused even greater excitement than "Open Window" (Figure 1). The paint is laid on the canvas without discrimination—not just the background and hat, but also the woman's face and features are outlined with bold strokes of green and vermillion. Matisse was adept at absorbing the strengths of various art forms. He studied the color schemes of Eastern carpets and North African landscapes, developing a style that had a huge impact on modern design. "The Table" (Figure 3) is one of Matisse's paintings from 1908, and from this work, we can see how Matisse transformed the scene before him into a decorative pattern. The design of the wallpaper interacts with the texture of the tablecloth on which food is placed, forming the main theme of the painting. Even the figures and the landscape seen through the window become part of this pattern. The outlines of the woman and the trees are greatly simplified, even distorted to fit the flowers on the wallpaper, creating perfect harmony. In this painting with bright colors and simple outlines, we can also see certain decorative effects reminiscent of children's drawings. Matisse not only incorporated Eastern techniques (brush painting) into his work but also used elements from dance, music, and other art forms to enrich his artistic language. "Dance" (Figure 4), created between 1909 and 1910, was inspired by Matisse's time spent by the Mediterranean coast, where he believed the work was closely tied to the joy the sea brought him. The blue background of the painting symbolizes the azure sky of midsummer in August in the south, the large expanse of green evokes lush green landscapes, and the terracotta color of the figures represents the healthy brown bodies of Mediterranean people. In this wild and unrestrained scene, the dancers seem to be controlled by a rough and primal rhythm. They hold hands, forming a circle, twisting their bodies, and their limbs move wildly. "Music" (Figure 5), created in 1910, is similar in concept to "Dance." In this work, Matisse uses strong contrasts in color to highlight red, and the positions of the figures and their correspondences create a visual sense of continuity and dynamism, producing the effect of flowing notes. Both "Dance" and "Music" achieve a connection between color and music through typical simple compositions, strong color contrasts, and a sense of flow. "The Piano Lesson" (Figure 6), created in 1916, was a period of harsh days during World War I. It was a time of dimming in Matisse's work and a period when he yearned for rigor and moved closer to Cubism. After this period, he still distanced himself from Cubism and returned to his joyful and bright colors. We can see that this painting is highly structured: the garden outside the window is represented by simple green geometric shapes, and except for the red in the foreground of the piano, the other colors are cool and dark. The shadow of the light falling on the right side of the child playing the piano, in geometric shapes, corresponds to the metronome in front of him. The entire painting is filled with melancholy and unease, reflecting a gloomy mood and the shadow of war. "Interior with Violin" (Figure 7), created between 1917 and 1918, is a work that marks Matisse's transition from the cold period of war to a period of brilliant color. There is still music in this painting: the open violin case is the theme of the work. The most striking feature of this painting is the large expanse of black. Matisse said that black is a color with strong expressive power in itself. Against the contrast of black, the blue of the window outside and the bright daytime are highlighted, as are the blue of the violin case and the terracotta violin inside. The violin then reflects with the table, and the visual focus, through this movement, finally converges on the violin. Matisse remained active until the end of his life. He entered an era of selflessness, and by this time, he was too weak to stand in front of his easel. Therefore, he carved colored paper, cut out different shapes, and then pieced them together to create large images. This bold and outstanding achievement is Matisse's work closest to abstraction. "Beasts of the Sea" (Figure 8) perfectly captures the sense of freedom of fish, seaweed, seahorses, and submarines in the underwater world. Matisse painted an underwater world that we can never visit. The combination of geometry and radiant color showcases the artist's two outstanding talents. From this painting, it is easy to see why Matisse is one of the greatest color masters of the 20th century. He deeply understood how to use these elements, how to combine color and shape to make the entire scene so vivid, and how all his works are so perfectly harmonious.