Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse was one of the leading figures of the French avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century. He initially studied law and then in 1892 turned to art, studying under the academic painter Adolphe-William Bouguereau, attending the Académie Julian and also the École des Beaux-Arts under Gustave Moreau. His early paintings were sombre in colour then from 1896, influenced by Impressionism, his colours became lighter and eventually brighter.

In 1905 the vivid colours of his five paintings caused a sensation at the Salon d'Automne in Paris. As a result Matisse and several other artists began to be referred to as the 'Fauves' (Wild beasts) by critics. Matisse remained a significant and influential figure in European art until his death in 1954 and as well as making paintings, he created sculptures, prints and set designs for the ballet.

In 1941, aged 72, Matisse embarked on a new phase of his career exploring the medium of papercuts. These cut paper collages became a highlight of his career including his most important suite of prints, Jazz. The title of the suite of course alludes to music. In these compositions Matisse sought to achieve visual equivalents to jazz music. He referred to these images as "chromatic and rhythmic improvisations".

Jazz was published in 1947 as a limited edition book as well as a suite of pochoir prints, which is French for stencil. The suite comprised of twenty images suggestive of the circus, theatre and paradise which were printed by stencil process using a brush instead of roller. Le cauchemar de l'elephant blanc (The nightmare of the white elephant), plate 4 from the suite, evokes a sense of the circus, particularly with balancing shapes and flashes of dazzling colour. The vegetation forms at the edge were inspired by his trips to Tahiti's lagoons, which he regarded as paradise. By looking closely at the image it is possible to make out the form of a white elephant balancing on a sphere. Like many of the images in Jazz, the cheerfulness is off-set by the fact that these works were created against the backdrop of the World War II.

The cut-out is what I have now found the simplest and most direct way to express myself
Henri Matisse

Explore & Respond

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  • the diversity of how, where and why people create, make, perform, present and respond across arts forms, and the roles that the arts play in lives, cultures and communities 
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Developing practices and skills

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Creating and Making

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Presenting and Performing

  • share their work using available spaces, materials, technologies and/or digital tools   
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  • Look at Le cauchemar de l'elephant blanc (The nightmare of the white elephant). Can you see the white elephant? Where is its trunk?
  • It was said that Matisse was influenced by Impressionism, his colours became lighter and eventually brighter. Find examples of Impressionist works that support this statement.
  • Listen to some jazz music. As you listen, draw the shapes you think best responds to the music you are hearing. Now listen to some classical, pop or heavy metal music. What type of mark making are you creating this time?
  • Create a collage that responds to your favourite song. Use only 4 different colours and create shapes that respond to the rhythm of the music rather than a literal representation.
  • Cut out a variety of random shapes from different coloured or patterned paper. Combine your shapes in one large bucket or container. Mix up all the shapes. Without looking, select a handful of shapes. Without modifying the shapes you have been given make a strange and unusual creature. Stick these onto a contrasting piece of coloured paper.
  • Think about places that are very busy and festive. Perhaps it is a circus, the theatre, a sporting match, a farmer's market etc. What colours and shapes would you associate with these places? Create a collage that responds to one of these places. Remember, like Matisse - it doesn't need to look like the place, but it might give the viewer a sense of that place through the use of colour and shape.
Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition

Henri Matisse, born Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France 1869, died Nice, France 1954, Dancer Resting, 1940, France, oil on canvas, 81.3 × 64.8 cm; Gift of Mrs. C. Lockhart McKelvy, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, United States of America, © Succession H. Matisse/Copyright Agency, 2025.

Matisse had a long and highly productive career. Like his friend and rival Pablo Picasso, he often challenged traditional ways of making art and experimented with new ideas and techniques. One of the most striking features of his work is his bold use of colour, which can be seen clearly in this portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, his Russian-born model.

Matisse painted this work in 1940, during a difficult time in both his personal life and the world around him. The previous year, his wife Amélie divorced him after forty years of marriage. This was partly due to the important role Delectorskaya had come to play in his studio and daily life. At the same time, World War II was underway. In 1940, Germany invaded France, and Matisse, who was seventy years old, had to leave Paris. He moved to Nice, accompanied by Delectorskaya, who was about forty years younger than him and had been working closely with him for some time.

Despite these challenges, the painting itself does not show any obvious signs of stress or turmoil. Instead, Matisse presents Delectorskaya in a relaxed and intimate pose. The composition feels calm and personal. Her apricot-coloured legs, positioned at the centre of the painting, are framed by a green skirt. Around her, we see elements of the artist’s studio, such as an easel with an unfinished painting and a drawing placed on a table.

Matisse also explores contrasts in this work. Flat areas of colour such as the blue rug beneath her feet are set against more detailed, organic shapes and flowing decorative lines, particularly in the indoor plants that fill the upper part of the painting. These elements create visual interest and balance.

An important aspect of this work is Matisse’s careful drawing technique. He simplifies shapes, reducing parts of the body, such as the legs and feet, to smooth curves. This approach shows his skill and control, and it also points to the direction his art would take later in life, when he began creating works using cut paper shapes.