Based on these artworks, what do you think these artists were trying to achieve in their art?

HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)

Matisse believed, “Colour was not given to us in order that we should imitate nature,” he said, but “so that we can express our emotions”.

His work reflected the basic premise of the 20th century painting: art does not represent, but reconstructs reality.

He sought to eliminate the unimportant parts while capturing his subject’s basic qualities.

“Matisse’s typical subjects almost persuade the viewer that paradise exists on earth: tables laden with tropical fruit, flowers and drink; views out sunny windows; female nudes langorously reclining.”

Matisse, Henri (-Émile-Benoît) Green Stripe (Madame Matisse) 1905 (165 Kb); Oil and tempera portrait of his wifeused color alone to describe the imageoval face is bisected with a slash of green which acts as an artificial shadow line and divides the face in the conventional portraiture style, with a light and a dark /cool and warm sidenatural light is translated directly into colors and the highly visible brush strokes add to the sense of artistic drama. his version of the dress, his creative essay in

harmony.

Mme Matisse: Madras Rouge (The Red Madras Headress) Summer 1907 (120 Kb); Oil on canvas, 99.4 x 80.5 cm (39 1/8 x 31 3/4 in); Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA

The idea that art could approximate music is reflected in Red Room (Harmony in Red). 1908From Gauguin, Matisse borrowed large areas of unvaried color, simplified shapes, and heavy contour lines. The simplicity of Matisse’s drawing style relates to Gauguin's fascination with the art of non-Western cultures.

he also employed the abstract designs of carpets and textiles, reinforcing the flatness of the painting rather than attempting to create the illusion of depth. His interest in these designs demonstrates the influence of forms of creativity not often associated with fine art. Although Red Room was intended as a pleasing image of middle-class domesticity, his manner of depiction was considered highly revolutionary, especially in the way he assigned intense colors to objects arbitrarily and not according to their appearance in nature.

Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life) 1905-06 (150 Kb); Oil on canvas, 175 x 241 cm (69 1/8 x 94 7/8 in); Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA

Joy of Life, dreamlike and playful, illustrates a celebration. When people gather to celebrate, there is music, dancing and talking, just like in Joy of Life. The women are relaxed, peaceful, and non-threatening. The scene shows various groups of nymphs and individuals doing many different things, implying that in this world there is room for anyone to join in the celebration. This is exactly what Matisse has done by revising Cézanne’s image of women.(Large Bathers)

The Dance by Henri Matisse (1910)

Matisse took the motif of the round dance, used as a symbol back as far as French Renaissance, to represent the rhythm and expression of the 20th century. The spaciousness and expressive lines emphasize the dynamics of the figures. Simplified and schematic forms intensify the brightness and resonance of the three colors — red, blue and green. Dance, Matisse once said, meant "life and rhythm."

Artist: Andre DerainArtist's Lifespan: 1880-1954Title: The Turning Road, L'EstaqueDate: 1906

André Derain. (French, 1880-1954). London Bridge. London, winter 1906. Oil on canvas, 26 x 39" (66 x 99.1 cm).

Charing Cross Bridge, London (1906)

Vlaminck often used thick applications of paint squeezed directly from the tube onto the canvas, resulting in pure, intense colors.

Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 1876-1958), Autumn Landscape, c. 1905, oil on canvas, 18 1/4 x 21 3/4 inches (46.2 x 55.2 cm), Museum of Modern Art, NY.

Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 1876-1958), The Blue House, 1906, oil on canvas, 21 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches, Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Kees van Dongen, Modjesko, Soprano Singer, 1908, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 32 inches (100 x 81.3 cm), Museum of Modern Art, NY.

Raoul Dufy, Regatta at Cowes, (1934), Washington D.C. National Gallery of Art

Geaorges Rouault (1871-1958)

Georges Rouault, The Old King, 1916-1936. Approx. 30" X 21". The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (Patrons' Art Fund, 1940).