Henri Emile Matisse

For as long as I can remember, French born Henri Matisse has been a favorite
artist/painter/sculptor of mine. His colorful forms and paintings often depicted nature,
still life and nudes. I was thrilled to read that a large collection of rarely seen works will
be on exhibition at the Boston MFA this spring from April 9th - July 9th. 
Read more about the exhibition here. You can be sure I won't be missing this one. 

"What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject-matter, an 
art which could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, 
calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue."

I am pretty sure I bought "Interior with Dog" in Baltimore or Boston in my early 20's. I had the print framed back then and it is currently hanging in my hallway. 

I purchased this over sized poster, had it mounted on foam core and hung it in all of my dorm rooms and apartments for years and into my late twenties.  (Open Window - 1905)

In the 1940's and over the last fourteen years of his life Henri turned primarily to paper cut outs or as he referred to the practice: painting with scissors. After being diagnosed with cancer and in a wheel chair, Henri found it difficult to paint. He however found a creative resurgence with the paper cutting technique. His assistants painted sheets of paper with gouache and Matisse then cut them into colorful, lively compositions and collages. This period of work is one of my favorites!