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View alphabetical lists of all artists currently featured on the site.
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Artists are organised by their most commonly-used names. This is usually but not always their surname e.g. Leonardo da Vinci is under L, Van Gogh is under V and Raphael is under R.
Henri Matisse (French, 1869 - 1954)
Matisse began taking drawing classes as a way of relieving the boredom of his job as a solicitor's clerk. However, in 1891 he abandoned his legal career in favour of painting, studying at various schools in Paris. In 1905 he exhibited with a number of artists who were dubbed by a critic, 'Les fauves' (wild beasts). Matisse began painting in rich bright colours after spending time in the south of France. He settled there permanently in 1940. After undergoing two major operations in 1941 he was left bed-ridden but continued to make paper cut-outs. These allowed him to 'draw' into the colour.