Matisse, Henri (Emile Beno�t) 1869-1954
French painter

Born in Le Cateau, he studied law in Paris and then worked as a lawyer's clerk in St Quentin. In 1892 he began studying art seriously in Paris, first under Adolphe Bouguereau at the Acad�mie Julian and then under Gustave Moreau at the �cole des Beaux-Arts, where he met Georges Rouault. Between 1899 and 1900 he was working at the Acad�mie Carri�re, where he met Andr� Derain. In the 1890s he came under the influence of Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism and, in particular, of the Divisionism developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, but this was eclipsed for a time by his admiration for C�zanne. Although poverty-stricken, he managed to buy C�zanne's small Bathers from the dealer Ambroise Vollard (1865-1939). In 1904 he returned to his Divisionist technique while working in the brilliant light of St Tropez and started using high-pitched colour, as in his celebrated Woman with the Hat (1905). From this departure grew the movement irreverently dubbed the Fauves (Wild Beasts) by critics. Matisse was the leader of this group, which also included Derain, Maurice Vlaminck, Raoul Dufy and Rouault. His most characteristic paintings display a bold use of luminous areas of primary colour, organized within a two-dimensional rhythmic design. The purity of his line drawing is seen in his many sketchbooks and book illustrations. Resident in Nice from 1914, he designed some ballet sets for Sergei Diaghilev. The art of Matisse owes a great deal to oriental influences and his sensuous art has been as influential in the 20th century as more cerebral movements such as Cubism. In his later years he began working with large paper cut-outs, creating abstract designs. He also designed the stained glass for the Dominican Chapelle du Rosaire at Vence, Alpes-Maritimes. His works include Bonheur de vivre (1906), L'Escargot (1953), and La Liseuse (1894, 'Woman Reading'). He also produced sculpture, and his works in this field include the bronze The Back I-IV (1909-30).