Matisse

"Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse" was the latest artist biography I tackled. I am always inspired by reading about world class artists.

Like many other artists, Matisse was not understood or appreciated until years after his death. A few visionary souls purchased his work and supported him with commissions even when they did not understand his work.

I loved reading about a particular collector, Marcel Sembat, who bought a painting "Seated Nude" even though it did not make sense to him.

Matisse explained, "You see, I wasn't just trying to paint a woman, I wanted to paint my overall impression of the south." [Oh, that makes it completely clear!]

Sembat bought the painting because he recognized that is was what he called "an egg." In that egg was the embryo that would grow into the many canvasses that would follow after the next decade. And that's exactly what happened.

Do you enjoy Matisse? Here are a few links to his paintings on YouTube you might enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m-B_15icZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5WPZFz4RL4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwH-eDyWm0k