Henri Matisse | Woman before an aquarium, 1922

Henri Matisse was fascinated by the cultures of North Africa and the Middle East.

In 1903 he visited an Islamic art exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; in 1910 he traveled to Munich for a major display of Islamic objects and then to Spain to see Moorish architecture.

He also collected brilliantly colored and richly ornamented textiles, pottery, and tiles.

It was, however, the physical experience of these lands that proved to have the greatest impact on Matisse's vision and creativity.

Henri Matisse | Young Woman before an Aquarium (Jeune fille devant un aquarium) | Between September 1921 and February 1922. | Art Institute of Chicago

Henri Matisse | Woman in a Purple Coat, 1937

"Woman In A Purple Coat" or "The Purple Coat" is a painting by Henri Matisse from 1937.

It depicts Matisse's assistant Lydia Delectorskaya.

This painting is an example of Henri Matisse's mature decorative style.

Matisse depicts his model and companion of many years, Lydia Delectorskaya, in an exotic Moroccan clothing, surrounded by a complex of abstract design and exotic color.

This is an example of one of the final groups of oil paintings in Matisse's career, in 1950 he stopped painting oil paintings in favor of creating paper cutouts.

Henri Matisse | Romanian blouse, 1940 | Centre Pompidou

The ornamental embroideries of the blouse are actually the main topic here, as the painter showed great interest in all types of fabrics.

Matisse was moved by the graphic beauty of motifs in craftsmanship that he collected.

He conveys his exaltation, smoothing out details, streamlining lines and creating colour blocks, as the stylisation of the oak leaves central ornaments suggests it.

The blouse billows out, becoming pictorial space as much as metaphor.

11 photographs show the various stages of creation for this portrait, gradually erasing the young girl to better emphasise the embroidered blouse. | Source: © Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne

Henri Matisse | Romanian blouse, 1940 | Centre Pompidou - Musée national d'art moderne

Aung Kyaw Htet, 1965

Aung Kyaw Htet è un pittore del Myanmar.

I suoi dipinti della vita religiosa in Myanmar mostrano monaci e monache in modo realistico, sebbene gli oggetti non essenziali siano omessi dai dipinti.

Ha studiato alla Scuola Statale di Belle Arti a Rangoon.

È un devoto buddista ed è cresciuto in un piccolo villaggio, due fattori che hanno una forte influenza sulla sua arte.

I suoi quadri di la vita religiosa in Birmania mostra però monaci e monache in modo realistico gli oggetti non essenziali vengono omessi dai dipinti per disegnare attenzione alle persone.

Anna Razumovskaya | Romantic painter

Anna Razumovskaya is a graduate of the Russian State University For Arts, where she was awarded the distinction of high-class artist in 1991.

Subsequently, she studied art in Germany, Belgium and Holland. With exhibitions in New York, Paris, Toronto, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Berlin and numerous works in private collections across the globe, she has become one of the most exciting and collectable artists on the contemporary scene.

Born at the height of the cold war, Anna was exposed to very different worlds, that of the austere communist regime alongside the sophistication and femininity of her fashion-conscious mother.

Denis Oktyabr, 1977

Figlio del famoso artista siberiano Valery Oktyabr, Denis Oktyabr è nato in una città russa Novoaltaisk per continuare la famiglia artistica tradizione.

Nel 1992 Denis ha terminato la Scuola per Artisti e nel 1997 si è diplomato Collegio Artistico di Novoaltaisk.

Oktyabr dipinge ritratti e paesaggi. Nei suoi dipinti Oktyabr cerca di astrarre la sua mente e il pennello da forme e stereotipi per riflettere sentimenti, emozioni e illustrare il sacro processo di percezione e meditazione.

Forme e colori suoi i dipinti sono strumenti perfetti per esplorare ed incarnare idee e sensazioni. Guardando le sue tele si sente che c'è una visione del come le cose dovrebbero essere, ma non lo sono mai.

Jenaro Pérez de Villaamil | Romantic architectural scenes painter