#1, Henri Matisse, (Blue Nude), 1907

The Artist: 

Henry Matisse, was a French painter, draughtsman, sculptor, printmaker, designer and writer that was considered to be and one of the most prominent painter's of the 20th century. He was born December 31, 1869 in France to grain merchants (middle class family) (www.henri-matisse.net). Believe it or not, he actually attended law school for five years before he took an interest in art. In 1891, he abandoned law altogether and moved back to Paris with his father's permission to study art. He took up his studies at the Academie Julian and was taught by William-Adolphe Bouguereauthe but was later invited to Gustave Mureau's studio (www.history.com/topics/henri-matisse). He dabbled with impressionism, neoimpressionist styles, and even made mirrored master artist works to develop composition. Matisse first debuted his work in 1896 but was unsuccessful until 1905 when he exhibited work that was part of the fauvism (exuberant use of color) movement (which he later became the leader of). After the era of fauvism was over, Matisse continued to use color and started experimenting with abstraction but never touched cubism (Davies, 946). It is even said that some of his earliest sculptures have african american influence (www.infoplease.com). 


The Work:


This oil on canvas painting was derived from a sculpture Matisse was working on and accidentally knocked to the floor. He was completely distraught after the incident and his wife took him on a walk so that he could get a breath of fresh air and when he returned he began to work. The sculpture was of a reclining nude female and it was an experiment to see how well he could display a very defined figure within limited space. He finished the painting within mere weeks and when he showed it for the first time the Paris art scene was at a lost for words; they loved it! Unfortunately, when the painting was being moved to Chicago for a show in 1913 it was burned because it angered a lot of people. Its home museum is the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, MD, USA (artnet.com).


My Reaction: 


When I first peered at the painting I truly thought I was looking at a man. The figure is so overly sized and some of her features such as her arms, hands, and feet are huge. Maybe Matisse wanted the viewers minds to wonder if the painting is of a man, a woman, or both. He could also be using a creative way to show us that there is femininity in men as there is masculinity in women. He does not even give great detail of the figures hair; the hair is very short and tapered almost in the shape of a typical mans haircut. This woman has muscles like a modern day body builder and her butt looks bigger than a cows hide. After all the fun I may poke of this painting, I can still appreciate it because wherever she is the trees, grass, and plants in the background along with her posture make her seem at peace.


Works Cited:

Davies, Penelope W., Walter Denny, Frima Hofrichter, Joseph Jacobs, Ann Roberts, and David Simon. Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. 

Finch, Charlie. "Artnet Magazine." Fine Art, Decorative Art, and Design. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/finch/henri-matisse7-30-10_detail.asp?picnum=1>. 

Infoplease. Infoplease. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/henrimatisse.html>. 

McMullen, Roy D. "Henri Matisse." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/henri-matisse>. 

"The Personal Life of Henri Matisse." Biography of Henri Matisse. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.henri-matisse.net/biography.html>.