Maître de la Couleur: The purple dress

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (1869-1954) was a French artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter. Matisse is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso, as one of the artists who best helped to define the revolutionary developments in the visual arts throughout the opening decades of the twentieth century, responsible for significant developments in painting and sculpture. The intense colorism of the works he painted between 1900 and 1905 brought him notoriety as one of the Fauves (wild beasts). The series named, Maître de la Couleur, is one his most celebrated. Known for color and design, the series has captivated viewers since it was created in 1948. Matisse created this series of lithographs based upon his most celebrated drawings and painting of that era.