Henri Matisse paintings: hand-painted studies on canvas
Here you can order Henri Matisse paintings as hand-painted studies on canvas, including The Dance (second version), The Blue Window and Woman with a Hat. A study is a copy painted with a brush by a painter, in oil or acrylic depending on the work: you recognise the painting at once, but in its details and brushwork it differs slightly from the original. Every painting is made to order; stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose whether it arrives rolled, stretched on a frame or framed, and before dispatch we send you a photo of the finished painting.
“What interests me most is neither still life nor landscape, but the figure.”
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a master draughtsman, engraver, sculptor and painter, and he is known above all for his imaginative use of colors in painting and his original technique. At first he was labeled a Fauvist, but later he gained fame as a representative of the classical direction of French painting. Along with Picasso, he is considered the greatest artist of the 20th century.
He finished studying law, but started painting during the period when he suffered from appendicitis and found a kind of “paradise” in painting. In 1891, he returned to Paris as a painting student and became fascinated by the works of the post-impressionists, especially Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Signac, and also Japanese art.
After flirting with Impressionism in his early years, he later decided on a different path and became a leading representative of Fauvist painting.
Henri Matisse is a master of the expressive language of color and drawing. His oeuvre, which spans more than half a century, earned him recognition as a leading figure in contemporary art.
Matisse died of cardiac arrest at the age of 84 on November 3, 1954. He is buried at the Monastère Notre Dame de Cimiez cemetery in the Cimiez neighborhood of Nice.
Matisse paintings you can order as a study
Dancers and bathers. The Dance (second version) (1910), The Dance (first version) (1909), Bathers by a River, Bathers with a Turtle and The Joy of Life are Matisse’s large figure compositions: bodies in pure colour moving in a ring or by the water.
Portraits and women. Woman with a Hat (1905), Self-Portrait, Woman in a Purple Coat (1937), The Gypsy and Carmelina, from the bold Fauvist portraits to the later, decorative women.
Interiors, windows and landscapes. The Blue Window (1913), Two Girls in a Yellow and Red Interior (1947), Two Figures Reclining in a Landscape, Luxury, Calm and Pleasure (1904) and Nude Women. All 15 Matisse studies are in the list on this page.
What size to choose
Each Matisse study comes in 7 to 9 sizes, from about 30 × 40 cm up to 3.9 metres for The Dance (second version); the exact sizes are on each painting’s page. Matisse’s colours are strong, so even a medium size fills a room with light. Above a sofa or bed, choose a painting about two thirds as wide as the furniture below it. Prices start at 108 €. If no size fits, we paint the painting to measure: see custom paintings. On request we also prepare a free preview of the painting in your room.
Frequently asked questions
What is a study of a Henri Matisse painting?
A copy painted by hand by a painter, not a print. Matisse’s flat areas of pure colour and free, quick lines are drawn by each painter’s own hand, so they are never identical stroke for stroke. That is why we call it a study: the finished painting is clearly recognisable, but not identical to the original in every detail.
Is the painting done in oil?
It depends on the work: some paintings we paint in oil, others in acrylic. Either way it is real paint, applied to the canvas by hand.
How is the painting shipped?
Rolled in a tube, stretched on a frame (2.5 cm bars) or framed: you choose when you order. Stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia.
Do I see the painting before it ships?
Yes. When the painting is finished we send you a photo, and we ship it once you confirm.
How much does a Matisse study cost?
From 108 €. The price depends on the painting and the size you choose; each painting’s page shows the price for every size.
How long does delivery take?
Every Matisse study is painted to order and arrives in 15 to 45 working days.