Exploring Matisse's Multiple Styles: From Traditional to Modern Masterpieces

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was one of the most influential artists in the 20th century, best known for his expressive use of color and stylistic evolution. While he had experience as a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, he was foremost a painter. In Paris, he received traditional artistic training in still life and landscape art at the prestigious Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts. When he progressed in his studies and traveled around Europe, he became fascinated by Post-Impressionist artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. All of this impacted his artistic style, which created his well-known evolutionary approach to color and form and led him to create his movement, Fauvism, which encouraged artists to use a strong, unmixed color palette. His style underwent significant transformations throughout his career, ranging from traditional techniques to groundbreaking modernism, cemented Matisse as one of the most influential figures in modern art.

Matisse's early education at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris was taught by the Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau. He studied under Moreau, who encouraged his pupils to copy the masterpieces in the Louvre and explore their own style, a technique that differed from the more rigorous and conservative art teachers at the time. At this stage in Matisse's career, from 1890s to early 1900s, his works favored academic realism, in subject matter and genre. His work was much different from his later years, with his still life and portraits made with muted colors and classical techniques. Like other Parisian artists at the time, Matisse's academic training emphasized the Old Masters and encouraged artists to paint as they did, which explains his tendency toward academic realism. Rembrandt and Ingres were well-known and praised for their realistic portraits, who influenced Matisse. Two key works characterize this point in Matisse's career: Still Life with Geraniums (1906) and Portrait of the Artist's Wife (1913). Still Life with Geraniums shows a wooden table holding a potted geranium, fruit, and plaster casts of modeled figures with a pastel color palette and loose brushstrokes. Portrait of the Artist's Wife depicts Matisse's wife, Amélie Noellie Matisse-Parayre, in a ghostly way, with her skin devoid of color against her colorful surroundings. While both genres are traditional, we see how Mattise created his style that focused on using color in unusual ways.

In the early 20th century, Matisse and André Derain painted together along the Mediterranean coast. The paintings produced from this trip were exhibited at the 1905 Autumn Salon in Paris where the critic Louis Vauxcelles referred to their work as that of “wild beasts.” Fauves, the French term for “wild beasts,” became the moniker for Matisse, Derain, and the other artists who broke from traditional perspective and embraced colorful space planes. Although not an organized group, Matisse is considered the leader of Fauvism. His use of color straight from the tube, lack of shading, and harsh brushstrokes emerged a different role of color that was not about showing depth or perspective but expressing emotion. His Woman with a Hat (1905) shows how Matisse used bold, non-naturalistic colors as the portrait was not meant to hold a likeness to his wife or even appear realistic. Instead, Matisse wanted to play with color as a way to express shadow, like the green hues found in the women's face. This was met with intense backlash as critics found this work to be unfinished, childish, and not worth to be exhibited. The Joy of Life (1905) was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1906, an annual art exhibition in Paris designed for artists that did not align with the official art crowd. At this exhibition, The Joy of Life was the centerpiece among other works by Fauve artists. The work depicts a large Arcadian landscape with nide bathers and dancers and was considered the most radical painting at the time. While it was met with much of the same critiques as his Woman with a Hat, Matisse was able to sell the work to the American writer and poet Gertrude Stein and many believe it to be the inspiration for Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907).

Much like other artists at the time, World War I impacted Matisse's outlook on life, which correlated to his art and marked a turn from his usually bright and colorful art palette. During this period, he had a more serene and contemplative style, using less contrasting colors for more traditional shading techniques and subject matters. We see him embrace more classical forms, which reflected his early academic training. Likewise, his art takes on more structured compositions, rather than abstract, more figural and realistic studies, and art that holds references to classical antiquity rather than modern ways of art making. These tendencies can be seen in his The Dance (1910) and Blue Nude (1907), both of which show his softer lines and calmer color palette. The Dance is one of his more well-known works, and he is currently residing in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It depicts five female nudes dancing in a circle amid a green and blue background. Compared to his earlier works, the figures’ forms and overall composition is elementary with minimal shading and color throughout, emphasizing the flatness of the painting. Blue Nude is completed similarly. This work depicts a reclining female nude in a field, a typical art historical trope. While there is more color throughout this work, the shading is much more realistic and, overall, has a more muted color palette than his earlier works. During this time, one can see how Matisse was influenced by the Italian Renaissance and Greek sculpture when examining his simple forms and balanced works.

In the late 1940s, Matisse turned to a unique technique using cut paper as his medium. These cutouts were groundbreaking since they allowed Matisse to explore the artwork's color, contrast, and size. A part of the reason Matisse turned to the simplicity of paper and scissors was his declining health. In the post-World War II years, Matisse was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and underwent surgery that, while successful, left him weak and confined to a wheelchair most of the time. The cutout technique offered him a new way to make art that accommodated his new lifestyle. Matisse used scissors instead of brushes, cutting shapes from colored paper, usually from painted gouache, and arranging them to form large compositions. He would begin by pinning these cutouts where he wanted them. This way, he could rearrange as he wanted before finalizing each cutout's placement by gluing it down. In many of these works, we can actually see the pencil marks and holes left from the pins that show Matisse's meticulous planning. The Snail (1953) and La Gerbe (1953), are both highly abstract pieces, showing how his cutouts marked a shift to a new form of artistic expression that was both modern and timeless. The Snail is an abstract interpretation of the mollusk, with an arranged spiral of cut paper squares appearing snail-like. Likewise, we can see Matisse's investment in color as he uses a complementary color palette, adding harmony and symmetry to the work. La Gerbe depicts leaf-like shapes in various shades of green, blue, yellow, and black against a white background. Their arrangements make the overall composition appear like a bouquet. Many consider this work one of the most expressive of this time in his career. Matisse's cutouts marked the final chapter in his lifelong artistic career and culminate his exploration of color, form, and abstraction. This technique allowed him freedom and fluidity in his works that he had sought throughout his career and would have a lasting impact in the art history, influencing contemporary artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and Alexander Calder.

Many scholars view Matisse's Fauvism as a pioneer to other modern art movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Indeed, his exploration of color, form, and abstraction can be seen as an influence in many modern art movements that valued the simplicity of art's formal qualities and created a sensory experience for the viewer. Much like Fauvism, these movements radically transformed how we can understand art through color. Much of this also applies to contemporary artists who are popular today as many utilize revolutionary techniques and emphasize the use of color to make work that is resonant with many viewers. This is what makes Matisse an appealing figure. His ability to reinvent his style throughout his life reflects his commitment to growth and artistic freedom, a lesson many artists his is what makes Matisse an appealing figure. His ability to reinvent his style throughout his life reflects his commitment to growth and artistic freedom, a lesson many artists have to learn as they adapt to the high parameters of the art world.

From his creation of Fauvism to the innovative cutout technique, Matisse's work transcended individual movements to become a universal symbol of artistic expression and innovation. His ability to move seamlessly between different styles—traditional, Fauvist, classical, and modern—ensured his place as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. Much of this is part of his academic training, which taught him traditional techniques to imitate classical artists and his own interest in exploring and contesting modern ways of art making. All of which can be summarized by his intense interest in color as a vehicle of expression. What we see is a lifelong artistic career dedicated to learning and evolving with the times in the pursuit of that endeavor. You can explore Matisse's works more deeply by visiting museums or viewing his pieces online to fully appreciate the breadth of his artistic journey.