Henri Matisse and the Fauves

Pianist and Checker Players by Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse, Pianist and Checker Players, 1924, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1985.64.25

Matisse

Although Matisse also moved away from the fauve style, he continued to seek harmony through color and to delight in the brilliance of Mediterranean light.

This is one of many paintings Matisse made in Nice, where he stayed for the winter months throughout the 1920s. After the fauve period, Matisse returned to his earlier interest in the human figure—often in interior scenes, often incorporating views through windows.