Henri Matisse

Hello! My name is Henri Matisse, and I was an artist from a country called France. I loved to paint pictures, but I didn't try to make them look exactly like things in real life. Instead, I used bright, happy colors to show everyone how the world felt to me. My paintings were full of sunshine and joy.

My journey as an artist began in a surprising way. Around the year 1889, I became sick and had to stay in bed for a long time. To help me pass the time, my mother, Amélie, gave me a special gift: a box of paints! When I started mixing the colors and spreading them on a canvas, it felt like I was making magic. I loved it so much that I decided I would be an artist for the rest of my life. I had fun using colors that were surprising, like painting a person with a green face or a horse that was bright blue!

As I grew older, it became hard for me to stand up and paint with a brush. But I did not want to stop making art! So, I found a new way to create. I took a big pair of scissors and began cutting shapes out of colorful paper. I called this fun new game 'drawing with scissors.' I would arrange all my cut-out shapes to make big, beautiful pictures full of dancers, plants, and stars. It was another wonderful way to play with color.

I lived to be 84 years old. Today, my colorful paintings and paper cut-outs can be found in museums all over the world. I hope that when you see my art, it makes you feel happy and inspires you to play with color, too.