French Fauvist Painter and Sculptor, 1869-1954
Henri Matisse is considered the most important French artist of the 20th century and, along with Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential modernist painters of the last century. Matisse began studying drawing and painting in the 1890s. A student of the masters of Post-Impressionism, Matisse later made a reputation for himself as the leader of a group of painters known as Les Fauves. An ironic label given to them by a critic, the name reflected Matisse's aggressive strokes and bold use of primary colors. In 1905 Matisse gained sudden fame with three paintings, including Woman with the Hat, purchased by the wealthy American ex-patriot Gertrude Stein. Beyond painting, he worked with lithographs and sculpture, and during World War II he did a series of book designs. Later in his career he experimented with paper cutouts and designed decorations for the Dominican chapel in Vence, France. Along with Picasso, Related Paintings of Henri Matisse :. | Crouching Nude Profile with Black Hair (mk35) | Students blue book | The Bay of Nice (mk35) | Self-Portrait | dancel | Related Artists:
El GrecoGreek-born Spanish Mannerist Painter, 1541-1614
Considered a representative of late Renaissance Spanish art, El Greco was actually born in Greece, on the island of Crete. After studying in Venice under Titian, El Greco settled in Toledo, Spain in 1577. At the time he was wildly popular, his emotionally religious paintings being just the ticket for the hometown of the Spanish Inquisition. After his death his work was largely ignored until the beginning of the 20th century; now he considered one of the inspired geniuses of Western art. His distinctive style features bold shapes and colors, with elongated and slightly distorted figures.
In Toledo El Greco was in constant demand and liked living large: he maintained a private orchestra to accompany his meals.
BERLINGHIERI, BonaventuraItalian Gothic Era Painter, active 1215-1242
Italian painter. Originally from Lucca, he was the most gifted of a family of Lombardian painters. His Scenes from the Life of St. Francis on the predella of the altar of San Francesco (Pescia) is the earliest known visual representation of St. Francis' life. Also noted are Scenes from the Life of St. Francis (Santa Croce, Florence) and St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata (Accademia, Florence).
Armand Pallierepainted Pedro II of Brazil, aged 4 in 1830