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Quiz about Portrait of an Artist Matisse
Quiz about Portrait of an Artist Matisse

Portrait of an Artist: Matisse Quiz


A colossal figure in the art world of the early 20th century, French artist Henri Matisse helped shape the direction of the avant-garde movement for decades to come. You can learn more about this extraordinary gentleman here...enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by thejazzkickazz. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
114,656
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
7 / 15
Plays
699
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. Whether or not one loves his artwork, one must admit the extraordinary influence and originality that Henri Matisse brought to the art world. Where was this French artist, member of the first wave of the 20th century avant-garde assault on conservative aesthetic tradition, born?
Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. After finishing secondary school, Henri went on to Paris. He studied there for a year in order to become a part of which profession?
Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. The key formative event in Matisse's young life came when he was 20 years old and recovering from a severe bout with which illness?
Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. His first opportunity at an art education came ironically with the very conservative Adolphe-William Bouguereau. In which art academy was he enrolled to study under Bouguereau in Paris?
Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. Matisse was 'rescued' from the stiflingly conservative style of Bouguereau by another famous French painter of the late 19th century. Who was this French master that had his atelier set up at the École des Beaux-Arts?
Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. In 1898, with his star rising, Matisse was married. What was the name of his fiancé and soon-to-be wife?
Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. By the late 1890s, Matisse was becoming quite a significant figure among the French avant-garde painters. A sign of his emerging leadership skills was his receiving of an honorary nickname from his peers. What did the young, Parisian artists offer to Matisse as his new sobriquet?
Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Matisse had, of course, already felt the influence of the Impressionists by the early 1900s. However, a fresh new influence was seeping into his brush that would help him develop his revolutionary use of pure, bright colors that characterize his most original works. This influence would come from the 'Neo-Impressionist' artists involved in the technique commonly known as Pointillism. Matisse read the writings of and befriended which practitioner of the Pointillist style in 1904?
Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. The most consequential year in Matisse's art career came in 1905. During that year, he and his colleagues André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck, exhibited a number of paintings at the Salon d'Automne. The powerful use of colors in the paintings at this exhibit created such a stir that art critic Louis Vauxcelles was driven to deem the artists collectively as which of these?
Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. In 1910, Matisse created one of his most significant works. Upon a blue background we see a circle of reddish-brown women, hands clasped in a ring of dance. What is the title of this piece?
Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. During the entire decade of the 1910s Matisse fell under the varying influences of a number of sources. Visits to Moscow allowed him to observe the iconic art of the middle ages, while visits to the Islamic world, and especially Morocco, allowed for a creeping in of Arab influence in his works. In the late 1910s he also paid a series of visits to which aging Impressionist artist, whose works seriously affected the Matisse paintings of the 1920s?
Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. True or false: Though Matisse is known to us as one of the great painters of the 20th century, he was unsuccessful in his attempts at working in the realm of sculpture.


Question 13 of 15
13. In 1941, ill health forced Matisse to slow down his professional work. With which of these maladies did the already 70-year old Matisse suffer, requiring surgery?
Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. At nearly 80-years old, Matisse, remaining remarkably active, undertook an entire architectural project. He designed and built a small chapel as a return favor for a woman who had helped him during his period of convalescence. In which town was this chapel built between 1948 and 1951?
Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. In the final years of Matisse's life he gave up painting in favor of his 'Gouaches Découpées'. Of which objects did these works of arts consist?
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Whether or not one loves his artwork, one must admit the extraordinary influence and originality that Henri Matisse brought to the art world. Where was this French artist, member of the first wave of the 20th century avant-garde assault on conservative aesthetic tradition, born?

Answer: Le Cateau

La Cateau was a small town not far from where he would go to school, at Saint-Quentin in the mid 1880s. His parents were involved in the grain business, but Henri had little interest in carrying on this family trade.
2. After finishing secondary school, Henri went on to Paris. He studied there for a year in order to become a part of which profession?

Answer: Law

Like many fellow artists, Henri did not care much for his early education or initial profession. His year of law school landed him a boring and repetitive job as a law clerk. Was this all there was to life, Henri thought? Fortunately for himself and the world, other interests would soon take hold...
3. The key formative event in Matisse's young life came when he was 20 years old and recovering from a severe bout with which illness?

Answer: Appendicitis

In 1890, while recovering from his appendicitis attack, his mother bought him a set of oil paints. Spending his days painting simple pictures brought a realization to young Henry, the law was boring while painting was spiritually and emotionally fulfilling! After sitting through some early morning art classes, he decided to abandon his law career and set out in pursuit of the arts.
4. His first opportunity at an art education came ironically with the very conservative Adolphe-William Bouguereau. In which art academy was he enrolled to study under Bouguereau in Paris?

Answer: Académie Julian

Matisse was an adventuresome artist from the beginning, and found the traditionalist teaching style of Bouguereau to be tiresome, he soon left this studio in favor of better opportunities. Later in the 1890s he would study at the Académie Carrière, headed up by famous portraitist Eugene Carrière.
5. Matisse was 'rescued' from the stiflingly conservative style of Bouguereau by another famous French painter of the late 19th century. Who was this French master that had his atelier set up at the École des Beaux-Arts?

Answer: Moreau

Gustave Moreau, the famous French Symbolist artist, was one of the most admired avant-garde painters and teachers in Paris during this time. Moreau allowed Matisse to enter his studio without taking the traditional entrance examination, recognizing the potential genius in Matisse's work. Matisse met several other important artists in Moreau's studio, including Georges Rouault (Moreau's key disciple) and good friend Albert Marquet.
6. In 1898, with his star rising, Matisse was married. What was the name of his fiancé and soon-to-be wife?

Answer: Amélie Parayre

Amélie played a very significant role in Henri's personal and professional life. She helped support him early on by running a milliner's shop, and also helped promote his artwork. Henri remained married to Amélie until very late in his life, during World War II in fact, when they were legally separated. It seems that Amélie wanted to become active in the French resistance, while Matisse was withdrawn from the ugly events surrounding the war. Eventually, the two were buried together...
7. By the late 1890s, Matisse was becoming quite a significant figure among the French avant-garde painters. A sign of his emerging leadership skills was his receiving of an honorary nickname from his peers. What did the young, Parisian artists offer to Matisse as his new sobriquet?

Answer: The Doctor

Matisse was nicknamed 'The Doctor', partially in jest at his appearance, with his long, red beard, but also because of his very solemn bearing. This was a man to be taken seriously!
8. Matisse had, of course, already felt the influence of the Impressionists by the early 1900s. However, a fresh new influence was seeping into his brush that would help him develop his revolutionary use of pure, bright colors that characterize his most original works. This influence would come from the 'Neo-Impressionist' artists involved in the technique commonly known as Pointillism. Matisse read the writings of and befriended which practitioner of the Pointillist style in 1904?

Answer: Signac

Seurat, the founder of the Neo-Impressionist movement, had already expired a number of years before. Paul Signac, friend of Seurat, had faithfully carried on the movement. His writings very much affected Matisse's thinking, and he spent the summer of 1904 with Signac at St Tropez where he further indulged in the Pointillist technique. Soon, however...he was to free himself from the constraints of the dot-technique characteristic of the Pointillists and move on to create something wholly new.
9. The most consequential year in Matisse's art career came in 1905. During that year, he and his colleagues André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck, exhibited a number of paintings at the Salon d'Automne. The powerful use of colors in the paintings at this exhibit created such a stir that art critic Louis Vauxcelles was driven to deem the artists collectively as which of these?

Answer: Wild Beasts

Vauxcelles, glancing from the paintings of Matisse and company to a sculpture of the early Renaissance style, was said to have exclaimed, "Donatello au milieu des fauves!" (Donatello among the wild beasts) Thus the Fauvist movement received its name, and Matisse became 'Le Roi des Fauves' (The King of the Beasts).
10. In 1910, Matisse created one of his most significant works. Upon a blue background we see a circle of reddish-brown women, hands clasped in a ring of dance. What is the title of this piece?

Answer: The Dance

'The Dance' is possibly Matisse's most memorable and recognizable work. I believe you have seen it, but I will offer you this web-link to be sure: http://www.abcgallery.com/M/matisse/matisse146.html
11. During the entire decade of the 1910s Matisse fell under the varying influences of a number of sources. Visits to Moscow allowed him to observe the iconic art of the middle ages, while visits to the Islamic world, and especially Morocco, allowed for a creeping in of Arab influence in his works. In the late 1910s he also paid a series of visits to which aging Impressionist artist, whose works seriously affected the Matisse paintings of the 1920s?

Answer: Renoir

Renoir would soon pass on (in 1919) but not before he imparted a great amount of wisdom to an already very mature Matisse. Matisse was never egoistic enough to believe that new influences couldn't be brought in and he accepted gratefully the words of wisdom that were imparted from Renoir's elderly imagination. Matisse's works during the 1920s, particularly his large, female figures, owe their creation partially from Matisse's Renoir-experience.
12. True or false: Though Matisse is known to us as one of the great painters of the 20th century, he was unsuccessful in his attempts at working in the realm of sculpture.

Answer: False

Matisse was (and is) considered a highly accomplished sculptor, and his works in bronze stand as some of the premier pieces of the early 19th century avant-garde in that aesthetic category. His best known series of sculptures is called 'Back I-IV' (to be seen in the London Tate Gallery). See 'Back IV' here: http://www.matissepicasso.com/matissepicasso.gb/02confrontations/zoom05d.html
13. In 1941, ill health forced Matisse to slow down his professional work. With which of these maladies did the already 70-year old Matisse suffer, requiring surgery?

Answer: Stomach cancer

Sadly, Henri's ill health slowed him down during one of the most productive periods of his career. The truth is, Matisse was always productive, from beginning to end, and he eventually made a reasonable recovery from his stomach cancer. Some of his most significant works were created after his 70th birthday!
14. At nearly 80-years old, Matisse, remaining remarkably active, undertook an entire architectural project. He designed and built a small chapel as a return favor for a woman who had helped him during his period of convalescence. In which town was this chapel built between 1948 and 1951?

Answer: Vence

The Chapel of the Rosary, in Vence, France, was truly one of Matisse's most astounding triumphs. The entire chapel, including the priest's vestments and stained-glass windows were designed by him. Matisse also created murals on the white-tiled wall, all in black outline. Excellent pictures of the chapel can be viewed here: http://old.jccc.net/~jjackson/matisse.html
15. In the final years of Matisse's life he gave up painting in favor of his 'Gouaches Découpées'. Of which objects did these works of arts consist?

Answer: Paper cut-outs

Already surpassing 80 years of age, Matisse found it difficult to continue painting, but he continued to be active with his new project which he developed using his paper cut-outs. An example of one of these virtual collages can be found at the website listed in the chapel question above. I hope you enjoyed this quiz about Henri Matisse and learned something new in the process. If you did enjoy it, I highly recommend having a look at my 'portraits' of various other artists...you may find some to your liking.
Source: Author thejazzkickazz

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