Henri Matisse's Guide to Being an Artist

Henri Matisse's Guide to Being an Artist

Henri Matisse is a French artist who worked in a variety of styles over his career. His aim was always to create beautiful art that was balanced, pure, and serene. He is best known for his abstract paintings, but he also produced a wide variety of other works, including landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. His work is held in museums all over the world, and he is considered one of the most important painters of the 20th century. One of the most important aspects of Matisse's work was his creative and originality. He was one of the first artists to explore new and innovative ways of creating art, and his work is widely considered to be some of the most important in the history of art. His passion for creativity and originality is evident in all of his work, and it is this spirit that has made him one of the most influential and celebrated artists of all time.

“I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me.”

Art is not just a physical representation of what we see around us. It can be a way to express ourselves, to tell a story, to find a way to connect with others. It can be a way to connect with the past, to find a way to connect with the future, to find a way to connect with ourselves. It can be a way to find comfort and peace, to find joy and happiness. Art is a powerful tool, and it can be used to create so many different emotions. Sometimes, we just need to let our imaginations run wild and paint something without actually painting it. We can use our creativity to create an emotion, and then we can experience that emotion firsthand. Whether we are painting a landscape, a portrait, or something completely unique, art can be a way to connect with our emotions and experience the world in a new way.

“A young painter who cannot liberate himself from the influence of past generations is digging his own grave.”

Being original in art is very important for an artist. Without creating something new and different, an artist can quickly become stagnant and lose their audience. One way to stay creative and fresh is to always be exploring new mediums and styles. Giving up on being innovative can quickly lead to a career stagnation. 

At 72 years old, Matisse returned from a doctor's visit with an ominous diagnosis of duodenal cancer. Though the surgery to remove the rare intestinal cancer ended up saving his life, the elderly artist nearly died from complications. Afterwards, he had to spend his remaining years either in bed or a wheelchair. But rather than let his bedridden state mark the end of his creative output, though, Matisse saw it as an opportunity for new beginnings. He reorganized his bedroom so that everything he needed to make art was within reach- a bedside table with drawers containing art supplies; a revolving bookcase holding classics and dictionaries; and a wooden board placed atop his knees, upon which he made sketches and sculptures. For paintings and larger drawings, Matisse would attach a paintbrush or pieces of charcoal to the edge of a long Matisse was a famous French artist who was known for his paintings and cut-outs. He had an operation to fix a broken bone in his leg, and after the operation he started making art using cut-outs and other techniques.


“Never ruin a good painting with the truth.”


“It has bothered me all my life that I do not paint like everybody else.”