Matisse Names

5th grade students learned about Henri  Matisse (1869 –  1954). Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of painting with pure bright, colors. He was the leader of the Fauvist movement around 1900. (Fauves in french means wild beast).

In his later years, he had poor health and was confined to a wheelchair and could no longer paint. He created a new art form of cut paper collage by “drawing with scissors.”

Woman with a Hat, 1905, painting by Henri Matisse.

Vegetables, 1952, cut paper collage by Henri Matisse.

On Day One: Students created a cut paper background using organic shapes (shapes found in natures usually curvy), geometric shapes (shapes found in math) and positive and negative shapes.

On Day Two: Students created their name or nickname and added that element to their design.