There is a specific summer, a specific place, where the history of modern art shifted: the summer of 1905, in Collioure, a small Catalan fishing port in the south of France. It was there that Henri Matisse, settled for a few months with André Derain, painted a series of landscapes that would give birth to Fauvism — including his famous Landscape at Collioure, where color finally ceased to describe the world, to express it directly.

Here we offer a simple journey to understand this pivotal moment, the logic of Matisse's style, and how it continues to inform much later works in his career.

Who was Henri Matisse? A quick portrait

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a French painter, draftsman, and sculptor, considered one of the greatest colorists of the 20th century. He began studying law before turning to painting after a convalescence — a late career change that would become one of the most influential artistic trajectories of his century.

Before Collioure, Matisse spent the summer of 1904 in Saint-Tropez, with the painter Paul Signac, a major figure in Neo-Impressionism and Pointillism. This period is reflected in paintings like The Terrace, Saint-Tropez: the brushwork is still fragmented, the color worked in small juxtaposed touches, in the Divisionist spirit of Signac. It's an essential stage, almost a springboard: Matisse was already experimenting with the chromatic intensity that would explode a year later.

The summer of 1905: Collioure and the birth of Fauvism

In 1905, Matisse returned to the South, this time to Collioure, accompanied by André Derain. Together, they painted a series of landscapes and portraits where color was applied pure, directly from the tube, without concern for fidelity to reality: a tree trunk could become red, a shadow could become green or purple. Landscape at Collioure is one of the emblematic paintings of this decisive summer — an almost abstract landscape of hills and vegetation, constructed solely by blocks of vibrant colors.

These paintings were shown in the autumn of 1905 at the Salon d'Automne in Paris. The shock was such that a critic, Louis Vauxcelles, described the room where they were exhibited as a "cage aux fauves" (cage of wild beasts). The name, intended as mockery, became the official name of the movement: Fauvism was born, and Collioure is its geographical cradle.

How to recognize Matisse's style?

A few characteristics allow one to immediately identify a work by Matisse, from Collioure until the end of his life:

• Pure and contrasting colors, applied in flat areas rather than mixed or nuanced — blue, yellow, and red interact without transition.
• A drawing that remains the foundation of the composition, even in his most colorful works: Matisse always asserted the importance of the line, visible in his numerous sketches and preparatory drawings.
• Interiors and studios imbued with color, where walls, fabrics, and objects become surfaces of pure chromatic expression rather than realistic elements.
• Cut-outs, a technique he developed at the end of his life when illness limited his movements: he "draws directly in color" by cutting shapes from gouache-painted paper.

Five works to follow Matisse's journey

The Terrace, St. Tropez (1904) Painted during the summer spent with Paul Signac, this canvas still shows the influence of Neo-Impressionist Pointillism, with its fragmented brushwork. It is the link directly preceding the chromatic explosion of Collioure, one year later. View this work on Gustave

Flower Market Flower markets are a motif Matisse particularly liked, the perfect opportunity to multiply flat areas of vibrant colors — bouquets, stalls, and parasols treated as so many juxtaposed chromatic blocks, in direct continuation of his Fauvist research and then his colorful still lifes. View this work on Gustave

Pink Studio / L'Atelier rose (1911) A view of the artist's studio entirely bathed in deep pink, where furniture, carpets, and paintings blend into a single chromatic harmony. A brilliant demonstration of how Matisse now treats the entire space as a colorful composition, rather than a decor to be faithfully represented. View this work on Gustave

Woman's Sketch A simple line drawing, which recalls an essential truth in Matisse's work: color never replaced drawing, it complemented it. His sketches reveal the speed and sureness of his line, the same one that then structures his later cut-outs. View this work on Gustave

Cut-outs Matisse's ultimate technique, developed in the 1940s-1950s when illness forced him to limit his movements. He cut shapes directly from gouache-painted papers, which he then composed into large colorful compositions — the logical culmination of a lifetime spent searching for the purest possible color. View this work on Gustave

FAQ — Frequently asked questions about Matisse and Collioure

Why is Collioure so important to Matisse? It was there, during the summer of 1905, that Matisse and André Derain developed the style that would become Fauvism: a painting based on pure color and contrast, freed from any obligation of realism. Landscape at Collioure is one of the emblematic paintings of this foundational summer.

Where does the name "Fauvism" come from? From a mocking critique: at the Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1905, where the paintings of Matisse, Derain, and their associates were exhibited, the critic Louis Vauxcelles described the room as a "cage aux fauves" (cage of wild beasts) due to the violence of the colors. The name, intended as mockery, stuck.

What are Matisse's cut-outs? A technique developed at the end of his life when an operation forced him to limit his movements: he cut shapes from gouache-painted paper and composed them into large colorful works, today considered one of the pinnacles of his career.

What is Matisse's most famous work? The Dance (1909-1910) and the cut-outs from the Jazz series are among his most reproduced works, but Landscape at Collioure remains the essential reference for understanding the birth of his style.

For those who want a Matisse artwork in their home

Where to find Matisse posters or reproductions? Gustave offers a collection dedicated to Henri Matisse, covering his entire career — from his early Fauvist beginnings in Saint-Tropez to his late cut-outs — reproduced in high quality, starting from €18.

Can these posters be bought already framed? Yes: each poster in the Matisse collection is available framed and ready to hang, or unframed if you prefer to choose your own frame.

Which Matisse poster to choose for interior decoration? Pink Studio brings a warm and enveloping hue, perfect for a living room or bedroom. Flower Market and The Terrace, St. Tropez are well suited for a bright space, in the Mediterranean spirit. Woman's Sketch, more understated, easily fits into a hallway or office, while Cut-outs makes a graphic centerpiece in a contemporary living room.