Art: Henri Matisse

Question 1

What was Matisse’s lifespan?

Answer 1

1869-1954 (died of a heart attack)

Question 2

What other careers did Matisse have?

Answer 2

printmaker, designer, and sculptor (also clerk for a solicitor)

Question 3

Did Matisse have artistic inclinations as a child?

Answer 3

No; his father was a grain merchant, and Matisse initially chose to study law

Question 4

When and why did Matisse turn to art?

Answer 4

He started painting in a serious way while recovering from appendicitis in 1889.

Question 5

Where did Matisse learn painting early in his career?

Answer 5

He studied at the Académie Julian, and with William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Matisse rejected Bouguereau’s emphasis on the precise imitation of the natural world, and went to work with Gustave Moreau within a year

Question 6

On what island was Matisse exposed to the important role of color in Monet’s and van Gogh’s work?

Answer 6

Belle Ile

Question 7

What was the result of Matisse’s first solo exhibition, which was hosted by Ambroise Vollard?

Answer 7

It was a failure, and Matisse faced financial ruin at the beginning of his career.

Question 8

What artistic group was Matisse affiliated with, and what does the word mean?

Answer 8

the Fauves, which means wild beasts

Question 9

What characterized the work of the Fauves?

Answer 9

They used color to emphasize emotions rather than to imitate nature.

Question 10

Where did the Fauves exhibit together, and when?

Answer 10

Salon d’Automne in 1905

Question 11

What was a key example of Matisse’s work in the early 1900s?

Answer 11

Joy of Life, 1906, which depicted a reclining nude female figure shown as brightly colored shapes

Question 12

Where did Matisse travel prior to the war, and what effect did the travel have on his art?

Answer 12

He visited Russia, Morocco, and Spain, developing an interest in Islamic art. This interest infused his work with exotic qualities like greater flatness of space and vivid, jewel-like colors.

Question 13

Why was Matisse not accepted when he volunteered for military service?

Answer 13

He was already 45.

Question 14

Where did Matisse travel after the war?

Answer 14

Tahiti and New York

Question 15

What did Matisse create besides easel paintings?

Answer 15

book illustrations for James Joyce’s Ulysses, and a mural cycle for the Barnes Foundation, both of which made him think about scale and medium in new ways

Question 16

What happened to Matisse that impeded his ability to paint?

Answer 16

He got a severe illness in 1941 that made him concentrate on drawing and printmaking.

Question 17

What forms of art did Matisse discover later in his life?

Answer 17

Paper cut-outs, which made it possible to define form in an abstract manner with bold shapes and colors.

Question 18

What was one of Matisse’s last works?

Answer 18

Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, a small Catholic church in a town on the French Riviera

Question 19

What did Matisse design between 1948 and 1951, and what did he view as the masterpiece of his career?

Answer 19

Stained glass, murals, furniture, and liturgical items. His masterpiece was a complex decorative scheme.