Henri Matisse was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker who stands as one of the most influential figures of 20th-century art. A leader of the Fauvist movement, he became world-renowned for his “emancipation of color”—using bold, unnatural hues to express emotion rather than reality. His work evolved from lush, vibrant oil paintings of Mediterranean interiors to his iconic late-period “cut-outs,” where he used scissors to “draw into color.” Matisse’s art is defined by its fluid draftsmanship, rhythmic patterns, and an unwavering search for serenity and “an art of balance, of purity and serenity.”