Pianist and Checker Players
Artist: Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States
Matisse and Post-Impressionism
Matisse soon took centre stage as a prominent Post-Impressionist artist, achieving recognition through his development of Fauvism.
The word Fauvism derives from the French âLes Fauvesâ, meaning âThe Willd Beastsâ. The Fauvist movement in France sought to break away from Cubism, another Post-Impressionist art form, in favour of a focus on colour.
The Fauvist experiments with colour drew on the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, among other Post-Impressionists, combining with the Neo-Impressionist techniques developed by Georges Seurat. Matisse developed his technique during the summer of 1905, which he spent in Collioure with André Derain.
Over this period, Matisse began using bright light and pure colours in his work, even if they did not represent the subject he was painting. He became known as the âchief Fauveâ, with the word Fauvism coming to define the eclectic collection of artists who adopted elements of Matisseâs style.
Matisse believed that colour should be the foundation of painting, both as a means of expression as well as decoration. He viewed painting and art as a form of therapy, âa soothing, calming influence on the mindâ.
