Matisse - Master of Colour (Basic Art)

The work of Henri Matisse (1869–1954) reveals his eternal belief in the power of pure colors and simple forms.

Although primarily recognized for his painting, Matisse also excelled in drawing, sculpture, lithography, stained glass art, and collage, for which he developed his own cut-out technique when old age prevented him from standing and painting.

Matisse mostly painted classical subjects: nudes, portraits, landscapes with figures, oriental scenes, and interior views. However, his treatment of intense colors and fluid drawing earned him a place as a 20th-century master. Matisse's palette particularly enchanted the modern imagination.

Through his use of intense blue, amethyst purple, and egg-yolk yellow in all their nuances, he freed his work from the constraints of a rigorous representation of reality and instead sought a "vital harmony," taking music as a source of inspiration and a point of comparison in his work.

From large canvases filled with patterns to simple and tender portraits, this book presents the immense richness and intense creativity that characterized Matisse's career, from his early Fauvist works to his last projects such as Jazz and the Rosary Chapel in Vence.