Matisse

Matisse (1869 – 1954) was one of a group of young painters who exhibited in Paris who were known as "Les Fauves" which loosely translated means "the Wild Ones".  Matisse's work was hugely influential not just in art but in design generally.  But in his day he was once almost universally reviled and ridiculed.  He ignored the criticism and just went on innovating.  Because he didn't bother to answer his critics he was to suffer badly from unfounded scandal mongering.

Matisse's use of colour is spectacular – bold and vibrant.

While this great picture is called The Conversation, we can see that this couple is not getting on.  It must have been a difficult conversation.

Towards the end of Matisse's life when he was too wake to stand at an easel, he created paper cuts – cutting out shapes in paper and making collages with them.  These works look modern even now.

If you are interested in knowing more about Matisse, I can recommend the biography Matisse the Master by Hilary Spurling – in particular Volume 2.