Midterm Essay

Henri Matisse is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.  He is best known for his use of expressive color and Fauvist style.   Matisse rejected using subtle hues of mixed paints and created his artwork with bright colors that came straight out of the tube.  When first viewed, Matisse’s use of color and stylistic technique was considered obnoxious.  The common theme of vibrant colors allowed for expression of Matisse’s work.  These bold colors used drew attention to Matisse’s work and captured the eyes of many.   The scenes he painted communicated emotional states of the artist.  Henri Matisse was the leader of Fauvism.  Like fellow Fauves, he believed in freedom of expression.  He believed that there should be no restrictions to what an artist can create.  Matisse’s use of color composition took first over any subject used in his paintings, landscapes, portraits etc.   A major contribution of Henri Matisse as well as other Fauves was separating color from its descriptive purpose and altering it to appear as an individual element on canvas or paper.  Henri Matisse will forever be known as one of the biggest contributors to modern art for his expressive display of emotions simply by the use of color.