Henri Matisse

“My aim is to express my emotions…a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

The fifth artist the students will study this year is the great French artist, Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954).

Matisse was born in northern France in 1869. Henri became one of the young artists who were drastically changing how artists were painting during this time. Matisse loved color and he explored all the ways he could use color to add interest and emotion to his work.  It was the beginning of modern art, which is art that has been created during the last 100 years. It is more about expressing feelings and emotions than creating art which looks realistic. Matisse is most well known for his paintings and paper cut-outs. The students will study many of his works and discuss the color schemes, simple shapes, and composition Matisse used throughout his artwork. During his lifetime Henri Matisse was hardly ever satisfied with what he did the first time around. He was always making changes and painting things over again or rearranging them. Henri Matisse worked right up until the day he died. He had been an artist for more than 60 years; creating art that he hoped would make other people happy.

Student artists will create a paper cut-out still life with an aquatic theme. They will start with a complementary color theme and then “draw’ with their scissors to create the shapes that will complete their piece of art. Look for them to be displayed around the school during the month of April.