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Article: Seeing it his way.(Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954)(Book review)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- November 21, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954, by Hilary Spurling (Knopf, 544 pp., $40)
'The creators of a new language," said Henri Matisse, "are always fifty years ahead of their time." Matisse insisted on seeing the world on his own terms--and that choice, which he followed dutifully and doggedly, put him at odds with just about everyone and everything in his native country: the theorists, the politicians, the establishment, the avant-garde, and especially his fellow artists.
Matisse was the 20th century's great colorist; this we know. But what we did not know, until now, is that the abundant joys in his work emerged ...