Where color breathes, the magic of Henri Matisse

The text below is the excerpt of the book Henri Matisse (ISBN: 9798894057705), written by Victoria Charles, published by Parkstone International.

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse was born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, a modest town in northern France, into a solid, industrious middle-class family. His father, Émile Matisse, a well-to-do grain merchant, was actively involved in local civic life, holding various municipal posts. Henri spent his childhood in Bohain-en-Vermandois, a town known for its textile production, where the richness of fabrics and the exuberance of colours and motifs were part of everyday life. Though unconscious at the time, these vivid visual impressions would later leave a lasting mark on his aesthetic sensibility.

A conscientious and diligent student – more disciplined than passionate – Henri Matisse pursued his secondary education at the lycée of Saint-Quentin, and, in keeping with his parents’ wishes, began studying law in Paris.

Upon completing his degree, he returned to the north and took a position as a solicitor’s clerk at a notary’s office. Nothing at that point indicated the future painter that he would become. It was a bout of appendicitis, followed by a prolonged convalescence, that changed the course of his life. To help pass the time during his recovery, his mother brought him painting supplies. It was then that he created his first canvas. “From the moment I held the box of colours in my hands,” he would later recall, “I knew this would be the reason for my life.” That sudden illumination – a dazzling, irrevocable certainty – would mark the beginning of a total, lifelong commitment to art.

In 1891, determined to follow this inner calling, Henri Matisse moved to Paris and enrolled at the Académie Julian, where he received rigorous academic training under Adolphe-William Bouguereau and Gabriel Ferrier, both highly regarded painters of the time. While he continued to earn a modest living as a clerk, his thoughts and ambitions were increasingly drawn to painting. Over time, however, he grew dissatisfied with the rigid formalism of academic art and began searching for a more vital, personal form of expression.

The decisive turning point came when he entered the studio of Gustave Moreau at the École des Beaux-Arts. Moreau, known for his independence of spirit and openness to innovation, did not impose a style upon his students. Instead, he encouraged them to cultivate their own personalities while remaining grounded in tradition. His pedagogy, both exacting and generous, emphasized the importance of individuality and the deep study of the old masters. For Henri Matisse, this guidance was liberating. Moreau gave him confidence, showing him that he could forge a personal path without rejecting the past. Matisse did not retain a single method or technique, but rather a conviction: to trust in his own unique vision.

During this period, to support himself, Matisse spent nearly a year copying paintings at the Louvre and selling reproductions. This was not only a financial strategy, but also a formative experience, helping him to absorb the essence of classical technique. Copying, in his case, meant entering into an intimate dialogue with past masters, acquiring precision, and sharpening his eye and hand.

In 1896, Henri Matisse exhibited four paintings at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where his work received immediate recognition. One of these, La Femme lisant (The Woman Reading, also known as La Liseuse), painted in 1894, was acquired by the French state. The work portrays a woman seen from behind, engrossed in her reading. The intimate, introspective quality of the scene evokes a hushed atmosphere, reinforced by the framing that suggests the viewer is intruding upon a private moment. The muted tones and reserved pose call to mind the female portraits of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, who had been the subject of a major retrospective in Paris the previous year.

Unlike the bold colours of Matisse’s later Fauvist period, this early painting relies on soft, natural hues and gentle lighting to create a serene mood. The model, most likely Caroline Joblaud – his companion at the time and mother of his daughter Marguerite – adds a personal, even autobiographical dimension to the work.

This success represented a major milestone. It signalled not only public recognition but also a growing assurance in his artistic direction.

Yet the exhibition was not without controversy. A dispute erupted within the Société Nationale between its president, Puvis de Chavannes, and influential juror Jean Béraud. Puvis saw great promise in Matisse, while Béraud remained sceptical. Ultimately, Puvis’s opinion prevailed, and Henri Matisse was named an associate member of the Société – a distinction that exempted him from future jury selection processes and affirmed his status as a rising artist.

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