“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter – a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

Henri Matisse was born in December 1869 in Le Cateau, France. He began painting during recovery from an operation and after giving up his law career, he moved to Paris in 1891 to study art. Matisse became an accomplished painter and one of the most influential artists of the 1900s.