Henri Matisse Quotes on Art

Henri Matisse is a famous French artist who influenced many 20th century painters. He was part of the short lived Fauvist art movement where he pushed colors to their extremes. Matisse went on to produce works which could be expressive, bold, colorful, decorative, simplified, and sometimes almost completely abstract. He produced paintings, collages, sculpture, murals, prints, and works on paper. Famous Henri Matisse paintings include “Self-Portrait in a Striped T-shirt”, “The Dance”, “View of Notre-Dame”, “Odalisque”, and “Portrait of the Artist’s Wife”.

Mini biography: Born Henri Émile Benoît Matisse on the 31st of December, 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France. His mother was Anna Heloise and his father was Emile Hippolyte Matisse. He was married to Amélie Noellie Parayre (divorced in 1939). Henri Matisse died of a heart attack on the 3rd of November, 1954 in Nice, France. Matisse was 84 years old when he passed away.

Henri Matisse Art Quotes

Drawing with scissors: To cut to the quick in color reminds me of the direct cutting of sculptors. Henri Matisse

After a half-century of hard work and reflection the wall is still there. Henri Matisse

I am unable to make any distinction between the feeling I get from life and the way I translate that feeling into painting. Henri Matisse

Creativity takes courage. Henri Matisse

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

A rapid rendering of a landscape represents only one moment of its existence. I prefer, by insisting upon its essential character, to risk losing charm in order to gain greater stability. Henri Matisse

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

I have simply wished to assert the reasoned and independent feeling of my own individuality within a total knowledge of tradition. Henri Matisse

In a picture every part will be visible and will play the role conferred upon it, be it principal or secondary. All that is not useful in the picture is detrimental. Henri Matisse

For me all is in the conception. I must therefore have a clear vision of the whole from the beginning. Henri Matisse

Cezanne, you see, is a sort of God of painting. Henri Matisse

An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language. Henri Matisse

I have always sought to be understood and, while I was taken to task by critics or colleagues, I thought they were right, assuming I had not been clear enough to be understood. This assumption allowed me to work my whole life without hatred and even without bitterness toward criticism, regardless of its source. I counted solely on the clarity of expression of my work to gain my ends. Hatred, rancor, and the spirit of vengeance are useless baggage to the artist. His road is difficult enough for him to cleanse his soul of everything which could make it more so. Henri Matisse

You study, you learn, but you guard the original naiveté. It has to be within you, as desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover. Henri Matisse

Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul. Henri Matisse

To paint an autumn landscape I will not try to remember what colors suit this season, I will only be inspired by the sensation that the season gives me; the icy clearness of the sour blue sky will express the season just as well as the tonalities of the leaves. My sensation itself may vary, the autumn may be soft and warm like a protracted summer or quite cool with a cold sky and lemon yellow trees that give a chilly impression and announce winter. Henri Matisse

There is an impelling proportion of tones that may lead me to change the shape of a figure or to transform my composition. Until I have achieved this proportion in all the parts of a composition I strive towards it and keep on working. Then a moment comes when all the parts have found their definite relationships, and from then on it would be impossible for me to add a stroke to my picture without having to repaint it entirely. Henri Matisse

It is my dream to create an art which is filled with balance, purity and calmness, freed from a subject matter that is disconcerting or too attention-seeking. In my paintings, I wish to create a spiritual remedy, similar to a comfortable armchair which provides rest from physical expectation for the spiritually working, the businessman as well as the artist. Henri Matisse

Seek the strongest color effect possible.. the content is of no importance. Henri Matisse

Truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing and are capable of but nevertheless sense a power that grows in proportion to your resistance. Henri Matisse

I have always tried to hide my own efforts and wished my works to have the lightness and joyousness of a springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it cost. Henri Matisse

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter. Henri Matisse

Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence. Henri Matisse

The portrait is one of the most curious art forms. It demands special qualities in the artist, and an almost total kinship with the model. Henri Matisse

A work of art must carry within itself its complete significance and impose that upon the beholder before he recognises the subject matter. Henri Matisse

Art Quotes About Henri Matisse

Light is something very special. It has nothing to do with white. Either you see it or you don’t. De la Tour doesn’t have light; Monet hasn’t any light. Matisse, Goya, Chardin, Van Gogh, Sam Francis, Kline have it. But it has nothing to do with being the best painter at all. Joan Mitchell

Henri Matisse Self-Portrait Painting

More on French Artist Henri Matisse

How has Henri Matisse influenced your art making? Is he a better painter than Pablo Picasso? What about a better artist than him? Let us know what you think about Henri Matisse in the comments below.

For more on the famous French painter and sculptor here’s three excellent Henri Matisse books: “Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs“, “Henri Matisse: A Retrospective: The Museum of Modern Art“, and “Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Color:1909 to 1954“.

Related or similar popular artists and celebrities include: Pablo Picasso, Maurice de Vlaminck, Andre Derain and other Famous French Artists.