Henri Matisse Paintings From Fauvism to Final Works

Henri Matisse stands out in the world of modern art for his masterful use of color as both a dominant tool for composition and a deeply expressive medium. His work, instantly recognizable and profoundly personal, showcases an affinity for themes that evoke joy, leisure, and beauty. Matisse frequently returned to subjects that captured his imagination, from the elegance of the female form to the serene complexity of interiors and still lifes. These choices reflect his continuous exploration of form’s essence, making each piece a window into his creative soul. 

Matisse’s journey through Fauvism, his exploration of movement and harmony, and his innovative cut-out techniques during his illness illustrate a relentless pursuit of artistic evolution. Moreover, the enduring appeal and financial acclaim of his work, from the groundbreaking “Jazz” series to the record-setting sales of his paintings, underline the lasting impact of his legacy on both art and culture.

Fauvist Portraits and Matisse’s Color Revolution

“Femme au Chapeau,” or “Woman with a Hat,” is a vibrant portrait by Henri Matisse, depicting his wife, Amelie. Upon its 1905 debut at the Autumn Salon in Paris, the painting became the center of controversy for its radical use of color and brushwork. Matisse’s audacious application of paint, with non-representational hues splashed across his wife’s face—a bold green stripe down her nose, and a dab of yellow at the tip—shocked the conservative art audience of the time. This portrait, created rather quickly as a substitute for an unfinished landscape, was initially advised against being exhibited for fear of the artist’s potential embarrassment. Despite the backlash and the concern of his contemporaries, Matisse showcased his work, inadvertently giving birth to the term “Fauvists” or “wild beasts,” coined by critic Louis Vauxcelles. This term later came to signify a pivotal moment in the emergence of modern art. The portrait’s audacious color scheme, including the surprising revelation that Amelie was actually wearing black during her sitting, was a daring move away from the observed reality, marking the painting as a significant milestone in the evolution of artistic expression.

The “Portrait of Madame Matisse. The Green Line” (1905), presents a bold use of color and simplified geometric structure emblematic of Matisse’s Fauvist period. This striking portrait of Matisse’s wife is notable for its reduction of spatial modulation to a bare minimum, eschewing traditional effects of light and shadow in favor of flat planes of vivid color. The painting, which likely emerged from the artist’s productive season in Collioure, a time of fervent experimentation alongside André Derain, showcases Matisse’s revolutionary aim to liberate color from its descriptive role. The eponymous green line dividing Madame Matisse’s face serves as a declaration of independence for color, elevating it to a dynamic and autonomous element within the composition.

Harmonic Motion in Matisse’s Art

“Dance” and “Music,” created by Henri Matisse between 1908 and 1913, stand as pivotal works within the artist’s prolific period of creativity. Commissioned by a Russian art collector Sergey Shchukin, these panels adorned the staircase of his Moscow mansion until the Revolution of 1917. Matisse draws inspiration from the primal essence of folk dances, capturing the ritualistic fervor reminiscent of pagan celebrations. In “The Dance,” this fervor is manifested through the intense interplay of red, blue, and green—symbolic colors that forge a visceral connection between Man, Heaven, and Earth. The five figures, rendered with firm yet intentionally deformed outlines, encapsulate the raw, rhythmic energy of nature and cosmos. Their movements are a dance of instinct and consciousness, a balance of forces that resonate with the viewer’s own sense of life’s rhythm.

“Music,” the counterpart to “The Dance,” offers a contrasting tableau of serenity and introspection. Where “The Dance” exudes the wild abandon of movement, “Music” explores the profound tranquility of creative expression. Matisse meticulously worked on this canvas, iterating its composition to capture the purity of this thematic harmony. The figures, each immersed in their act of making music, are at once separate and united—individuals contributing to a collective symphony. The static calm of the musicians contrasts with the dynamic energy of the dancers, yet both panels are intrinsically linked by the same vibrant color palette and the portrayal of humanity’s ascent to a higher state through the passionate pursuit of art.

Contemplation in Color with Matisse’s Still Lifes

“Still Life with Geraniums,” painted by Henri Matisse in 1910, represents a pivotal piece in the evolution of modern art, being the first of his works to enter a public collection at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany in 1912. Matisse’s reputation as an exceptional colorist is vibrantly on display in this piece, where the rich, vivacious colors of the geraniums captivate the viewer, acting as a visual anchor that radiates throughout the canvas. His love for plants, reflected in his personal garden, translates onto the canvas as he breathes life into the colors, letting the bright hues of the flowers inspire the energetic palette of his studio surroundings.

The painting stands as a clear demonstration of Matisse’s innovative approach to color and form. Here, he liberates himself from the constraints of realistic depiction, allowing the wood plank floors and panel walls to transform into a playground of color. The textile, with its dynamic floral pattern, weaves through the painting, contorting and twisting, creating a sense of movement amidst the stillness. Matisse’s attention to the inanimate—flowers, pottery, and textiles—imbues these objects with as much personality and emotional significance as a human subject.

Henri Matisse’s “Goldfish,” painted in 1912, vividly captures the beauty and serenity of goldfish swimming within an aquarium, a subject that found its way into at least nine of his paintings. This particular piece, part of a series created in the spring and early summer of 1912, places a special emphasis on the goldfish themselves, drawing the viewer’s gaze to their bright orange hue. This striking color, set against the subdued pinks and greens of the fishbowl and the blue-green backdrop, demonstrates Matisse’s continued fascination with the bold use of complementary colors—a technique that goes back to his Fauvist years. 

The symbolism of the goldfish in an aquarium during this period suggests a contemplative escape, reflecting the artist’s own search for inner peace amid the complexity of modern life. Introduced to Europe from East Asia in the 17th century, goldfish carry a wealth of cultural symbolism, often associated with prosperity and tranquility. In Matisse’s work, these silent, gliding forms become a meditative focal point, inviting the viewer to pause and reflect.

Window Views – Matisse’s Interior Exterior Blend

In the early 20th century, Henri Matisse embarked on a series of travels to study art from different cultures, venturing to Algeria to explore African Art and Primitivism, to Spain to examine Moorish art, and onward to Morocco. These journeys profoundly influenced his artistic style, infusing it with a newfound audacity characterized by the use of vibrant, unmodulated colors and the significant incorporation of black into his color palette.

In 1914, Henri Matisse found himself in an apartment at 19 Quai Saint-Michel in Paris, a space below the studio where he had previously worked from 1892 to 1908. The familiar surroundings of this place, with its window overlooking the Seine and the Île de la Cité, provided a comforting return to a view that had previously inspired his work. “Interior with a Goldfish Bowl,” painted that year, immerses the viewer in a world of blues and grays that sharply contrast with the warm glow of the late-day sunlight that bathes the landscape visible through the window. The scene outside seems to permeate the room, blurring the boundary between the interior space and the world beyond. Central to this painting are two vibrant orange-red spots—the goldfish—swimming in a bowl where the transparency of the water merges seamlessly with the window’s glass, cleverly connecting the curved lines of the bowl with the arches of the Pont Saint-Michel outside.

This painting begins a series of four canvases that explore variations on the theme of the artist’s interior and his progression toward abstraction. “Interior with a Goldfish Bowl” emphasizes Matisse’s fascination with windows as connectors of internal and external worlds.

In “Studio, Quai Saint-Michel,” painted in 1916, Henri Matisse presents a scene from the same studio depicted in his earlier work “Interior with a Goldfish Bowl.” Matisse skillfully blends representational and abstract elements to convey the intimate themes of the artist’s studio life. The painting, characterized by a pronounced use of vertical and horizontal lines, offers a glimpse into the Parisian studio at 19 quai Saint-Michel, captured during the somber period of World War I. The artist’s favorite model at the time, Laurette, is depicted reclining on a couch, her form showing evidence of Matisse’s thoughtful revisions.

The exterior view through the studio’s window includes the Palais de Justice and Sainte Chapelle, both subjects of the artist’s reworking, mirroring the creative process that unfolds within the studio walls. The play of light and shadow across the canvas, particularly in the discarded attempts at depicting balcony grillwork, emphasizes Matisse’s experimental approach to capturing space. This painting is one of four related works that explore the artist’s environment and his pictorial inquiries into abstraction. It subtly acknowledges Matisse’s presence through a strategically placed picture propped up on a chair, suggesting an easel. Matisse’s contemplation of the open window as a unifying space is profound; he perceives it as a continuous expanse that seamlessly connects the distant horizon to the immediacy of his workroom, challenging the notion of separate worlds divided by the glass pane.

Matisse’s Illness and the Birth of Cut-Outs

During his struggle with cancer and the resulting surgery that confined him to bed, Henri Matisse began the “Jazz” series, reflecting the vibrancy and resilience of the human spirit.

This series of twenty pochoirs served as a bold reply to his declining health and a continuation of his artistic expression through the innovative medium of papiers découpés. These cut-outs afforded Matisse a way to bridge the gap between his dual identities as a colorist and a draftsman, synthesizing line, form, and color into a unified, expressive dance of cut paper.

This period of convalescence in the late years of Matisse’s life became one of the most prolific, marked by the creation of “Jazz” between 1943 and 1944. Spurred by the encouragement of the publisher Tériade and inspired by themes of the circus, adventure, and memory, Matisse’s work on “Jazz” was both an improvisational act and a structured composition that mirrored the characteristics of the musical genre itself. Published to critical acclaim in 1947, “Jazz” is celebrated for its vivid pochoirs which feature the intense, glowing colors from Matisse’s original gouache-painted paper cut-outs. These pieces stand as a significant milestone in the narrative of modern art and highlight Matisse’s relentless pursuit of creation, undeterred by the challenges of illness.

Financial Situation and Art Sales of Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse’s early days were marked by the all-too-familiar narrative of a talented artist grappling with the dual challenge of earning recognition and achieving financial stability. Matisse’s engagement with the avant-garde circles in Paris won him critical acclaim, yet this did not immediately translate into financial success. To sustain his family and fund his artistic pursuits, he took on various odd jobs, including decorative work on the Grand Palais for the Exposition Universelle in 1900. Meanwhile, his wife Amélie Parayre supported their financial needs by opening a dress shop, underscoring the economic hardships they endured.

The breakthrough in Matisse’s fortunes coincided with the rise of Fauvism around 1905, where his distinctive use of color and form earned him the status of a principal figure in the movement. This period brought a growing number of collectors and art lovers to his exhibitions, notably the Stein family, who became key patrons, providing both financial backing and enhancing his social standing in the art community.

By 1906, Matisse’s financial situation saw a significant turnaround as his work began to garner attention in prominent galleries, and his participation in esteemed art salons such as the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d’Automne further solidified his burgeoning reputation, leading to increased sales and commissions.

Matisse’s acclaim surged internationally, especially after the New York Armory Show in 1913. Despite mixed reviews, his art gained demand across the globe, which, in turn, brought a more stable and prosperous financial situation. He reaped the rewards of success in the post-World War I era and the 1920s, a period marked by his ability to spend winters on the French Riviera, signifying his financial well-being. His work from this period, “Odalisque with Magnolias,” achieved a record sale of $81 million USD in 2018, confirming its continued prestige as the highest-selling piece among his works to date.

In the later years of his career, Matisse’s pioneering use of techniques like the cut-out method kept him at the leading edge of modern art, enhancing both his acclaim and financial achievements. Works such as the “Jazz” series, crafted amidst his battle with illness, consistently achieve sale prices that surpass their initial estimates at auction. For instance, the “Jazz” lot, previously estimated at $400-$600,000 USD, was sold for $630K in 2023.