La leçon de musique (The Music Lesson)

This painting was conducted by Henri Matisse  in 1971. The medium utilized was Oil on Canvas. It currently resides at Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA. I like this painting because of the array of colors utilized and I like the depth perception; you can see the boy in the backyard and the sculpture along with the trees behind him. Henri Matisse was one of the most powerful artists of the 20th century; along with Picasso. He fundamentally altered the course of modern art and effected the art of several generation to come. He experimented with  a variety of mediums throughout his life time; painting, pen and ink drawing, and sculptures to name a few. He also dabbled in graphic arts and book illustrations. His works varied from landscapes, still life, portraiture, domestic and studio interiors. Henri Matisse mainly focused on the female figure in his illustrations. Henri Matisse was initially trained as a lawyer and became interested in art at the age of 21. He moved to Paris and studied art at the Académie Julia and later at the  École des Beaux-Arts. Matisse early works were of the manner in which he was thought at the schools he went to. As time went on he started to experiment with a diversity of styles; he used a new kind of brushwork, light and composition. He basically created his own pictorial language.