Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Born on December 31, 1869 in France, Henri Matisse is regarded as one of the most important artists of 20th century. He didn't actually start out as an artist -- he was going to be a lawyer, but while he was recovering from an operation to remove his appendix, he started painting. He was influenced by art from all over the world, including Africa and Asia, as well as the new style of painting in France called "Impressionism," that focused on the way people felt when they looked at a picture. Before Impressionism, artists made paintings look very realistic (sort of like photographs). Impressionists painted nature scenes by using lots of colors and small brush strokes to show how light is really reflected. Lines and colors were softer and sometimes looked a little hazy. At first, people didn't understand this new style but eventually accepted and appreciated it.

Matisse spent more than half of his life on the French Riviera, one of the most famous and beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean. Surrounded by sun, sand, and sea, he was inspired by the way he saw light in nature there. He loved bright primary colors and strong simple lines, and wanted to express that in his art. "I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things," he said. When he and the other painters like him first exhibited their work in Paris, people were surprised by what they saw because everything was so much brighter and stronger than the way Impressionists painted.

Later in his life, Matisse became ill with cancer, and had to have another operation, after which he was confined to a wheelchair. Although he couldn't paint anymore, he still did book designs and illustrations, and was very active in the art world until he died on November 3, 1954.