Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is regarded by many as the most important French painter of the 20th century. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement, a group of artists whose style emphasized intense color and vigorous brushstrokes. He infused meaning into his paintings with a careful arrangement of colors and lack of detail, using bright color and strong lines to create a sense of movement.

Matisse became interested in art as a young adult. He took classes and began painting in earnest while recovering from an attack of appendicitis. In 1891 he went to Paris to study to become a professional artist. Although Paris was already familiar with the Postimpressionism of Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh, Matisse's style at that time reflected the style of the 17th-century Dutch canvases favored by the French Realists of the 1850s. When Matisse exhibited at the conservative Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1896, he was elected an associate member.