Henri Matisse was a French painter who is widely regarded as the most influential painter of the twentieth century in France. Henri Matisse, the founder of the Fauvist movement, is known for his use of vibrantly expressive color and a diverse body of work spanning more than half a century. Henri Matisse is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time, alongside Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo, with many of his works on display in museums.
Henri Matisse was born in the year 1869 in France. Despite studying law, he began painting in 1889 and decided to pursue a career as an artist. Matisse began with still-lifes and landscapes, influenced Impressionism. In 1896, Henri Matisse sold his first painting. Henri Matisse met Pablo Picasso in the early 1900s, and the two became friendly rivals.
Though the main difference between Matisse’s and Picasso’s work is seen in Matisse’s painting of the real while Picasso often painted from his imagination, many critics believe Matisse had more dominance and control. Consequently, despite the fact that Matisse is credited with founding the Fauvist movement, many people do not regard him as wild and uncontrollable, as the term Les Fauves implied.
Still Life with Geranium, Henri Matisse, was the first of his paintings to be purchased a public collection and displayed in the Pinakothek der Moderne, a modern art museum in Germany, in 1910. L’Odalisque, Harmonie Bleue, a 1937 painting Henri Matisse, was auctioned for $30 million (US Dollars) in November 2007, setting a new record for a Henri Matisse painting.
Le Bateau, one of his final works, was said to have been hung upside down during an art exhibition honoring his final works at The Museum of Modern Art. Matisse also published a book called Jazz, which included paper collages as well as his written thoughts. During the 1940s, Matisse worked as a graphic designer and illustrator in addition to painting and art. Henri Matisse lived until 1954, when he died of a heart attack at the age of 84. In Cimiez, France, he is buried alongside his wife, Noellie.