Matisse

Many view Henri Matisse as the outstanding painter of the twentiety century, and certainly he is one of the great colorists of all time. This volume, oversized and lavishly illustrated, offers an impressive and eminently accessible introduction to the artist and his work. Nicholas Watkins traces Matisse's career from the Fauve paintings of the 1907 Salon d'Automne to the final flowering of his paper cut-outs, culminating in his masterpiece, the Vence Chapel. Along the way Watkins describes the full range of Matisse's paintings, sculpture, book illustrations, and paper cut-outs with visual sensitivity, a keen knowledge of technique, and, above all, a warmth of style. He is at his most eloquent and perceptive when he pauses to look at specific masterpieces in all their complexity--The Dinner Table, Le Bonheur de vivre, and Luce, calme et volupe, among many others. He also shows us how Matisse responded to the artistic, political, and social events of his day, from Cubism to the two World Wars. The 225 illustrations--nearly 100 of them in color--represent the full richness of Matisse's oeuvre, while maintaining a balance between key works, familiar masterpieces, and rarely reproduced paintings. There are also numerous back-up illustrations of works by predecessors and contemporaries who influenced Matisse. About the Author: Nicholas Watkins is Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at Coventry Polytechnic in England. He is a regular contributor to a number of leading art journals.