Henri Matisse is one of the masters of twentieth-century art and a household word to millions of people who find joy and meaning in his light-fille...
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Jun 12, 2011
Cwalker
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The parents of creative offspring should read this book to reconcile themselves to the years of support they have in front of them if Henri Matisse's early career is anything to go by - and the overwhelming importance of a supportive family (especially wife) and friends in the artist's life. This well researched book, which is festooned with reference numbers on every page but fortunately for the reader not with footnotes, is quite engrossing. A surprise for me was the major influence of the Au
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May 26, 2010
Jennifer
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I loved this. Writing a biography of an artist must be a formidable task: how do you satisfy artists as well as readers who are novices? I'm a novice, and it seemed to me that the actual art was well-explained. The discussion of Matisse's artistic influences and the impact of his art is never allowed to overtake the discussion of the man.
Nick Hornby mentioned this in one of his collections of essays, Housekeeping vs. the Dirt; The Unknown Matisse was one of the books he'd heard g More...
Nick Hornby mentioned this in one of his collections of essays, Housekeeping vs. the Dirt; The Unknown Matisse was one of the books he'd heard g More...
Oct 16, 2011
Kristin
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Hilary Spurling's The Unknown Matisse is a detailed, biographical sketch of Henri Matisse's early life and an account of the events leading up to his embrace of Modernism and success as a painter. Spurling describes Henri's life primarily through daily contacts with family, friends and other members of the art circuit. The author begins by sketching the birth of Matisse and the major events surrounding it. The birth of Matisse coincided with the Franco-Prussian War, a time when the Germans ma
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Dec 08, 2008
Harry
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The Unknown Matisse is the first of two volumes, taking our hero from 1869-1908. I actually bought it some time ago on Jee Leong’s recommendation, but it has taken me some time to finish, mainly I think because the simple physical size of it makes it slightly awkward to read in bed. It’s not that huge, but it’s quite a fat volume and printed on large format paper to make space for some colour reproductions of the work. Which are, of course, lovely and very welcome.
It’s fascinating to More...
It’s fascinating to More...
Mar 07, 2010
Rob
rated it: 
Solid biography of the early life of this amazing painter. It gets the basic whos, whys, and wheres of his life down nicely, but is a little thin when it comes to delving into his art itself, both in regards to social meaning and technique, which is a major flaw. Still, it's worth reading for anyone interested in Matisse and probably would make a good starting point for someone with little to no knowledge of them man or his work. If it was possible I would have given this book 3 1/2 stars.
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Jan 25, 2010
Tim
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A good, comprehensive biography with the only nagging doubts caused by the traces of Spurling's suppressed hero-worship. By the end of this, the first of two volumes, you get the feeling Picasso is being set up a little too neatly as the arch-nemesis of the next book; she seems to have difficulty in overcoming what Gertude Stein coined the Matisseite/Picassoite divide, or even accepting those who found themselves on the other side.
Dec 22, 2009
Sam
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Again, one of the rare biogrphies that makes you care for someone you never thought to care for - on a human level - before. It makes Matisse lovable, and you regret not having had him as a friend. What good this is I'm not sure - but it's uncommon enough to remark upon.
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May 02, 2010
This is a brilliant analysis of Henri Matisse's stubborn Northern character, his rebellion against his father, his rebellion against conformism, and his struggle to transform modern art into a glittering world of light and colour.
This biography is well-written and interesting. However, it's very long and detailed.
This biography is well-written and interesting. However, it's very long and detailed.
Dec 06, 2007
Laura
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Along with Quentin Bell's biography of Virginia Woolf, this and Spurling's second volume, 'Matisse the Master,' are masterpieces of the life writer's art. From the artist's early days in the poor and dim north of France to his last days in the light-filled south, there's enough detail here to sink a lesser biographical vessel. There's so much that we didn't know before---Spurling's scholarship is exhaustive--- but it's all so well told. This is not the Matisse that introductory art history cou
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Jul 16, 2010
David (Dafydd)
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After reading this excellent biography I visited the Matisse Museum at Le Cateau-Cambresis which is superb.
Dec 03, 2007
Patricia
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This was a year to catch up. The title sat on my shelf for almost nine years; it came out at the time I gave up (for a time, it turns out) one of my greatest interests.
Erudite, sensitive, breaking a lot of new ground -- well. That's pretty good, I think. The dedication, alone, deserves a look.
Erudite, sensitive, breaking a lot of new ground -- well. That's pretty good, I think. The dedication, alone, deserves a look.
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