A richly illustrated survey of Matisse's impact on modern art that also examines his career, techniques, aesthetics and stages of artistic development.

The work of Henri Matisse has been both a profound inspiration to his successors and a source of infinite enjoyment to all who love art. Yet the apparent spontaneity of his colour and ease of imagery were the fruit of a lifetime’s arduous labour; the simplicity of his compositions the result of a formidable intelligence. In this richly illustrated study, Lawrence Gowing takes us through Matisse’s career, assessing his influence on the art that has followed him and looking closely at Matisse’s own achievements. The detailed discussion of individual works reveal the subtlety and complexity of one of the greatest masters of all time.

'No artist of the 20th century was so involved with the process of looking at the world and questioning that looking as was Matisse – and Gowing understands that completely' - Art in America
'Literate, informed and discerning' - Choice
'Lawrence Gowing brings the eye of a painter and the erudition of a scholar to this illuminating book on Matisse, which probes the complex ways in which the inner workings of the artist’s mind find expression in his art' - Jack Flam

Sir Lawrence Gowing RA (1918–1991) was an English artist, writer, curator and teacher. Initially recognized as a portrait and landscape painter, he quickly rose to prominence as an art educator, writer and, eventually, curator and museum trustee.