| Beasts of the Sea | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Henri Matisse |
| Year | 1950 |
| Medium | Paper collage on canvas |
| Location | National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
| Dimensions | 116 3/8 in × 60 5/8 in |
| 295.5 cm × 154 cm | |
| Famous Paintings by Henri Matisse | |
| L’Atelier Rouge, 1911 | |
| The Conversation, 1912 | |
| Woman Reading, 1894 | |
| The Dance, 1909 | |
| The Snail, 1953 | |
| Green Stripe, 1905 | |
| Beasts of the Sea, 1950 | |
| The Open Window, 1905 | |
| Woman with a Hat, 1905 |
Beasts of the Sea is amongst the last works of Henri Matisse. The painting was made using cut-out method. The painting is particularly interesting because it is in two halves. It makes use of geometrical shapes to depict or symbolize certain aspects of the sea.
The two halves of the painting represented life and death. The left half depicts various sea creatures and vegetation in their natural order, showing creatures floating above the vegetation on ground. In the right half the creatures are seen at the bottom, depicting them as dead. As this artwork was created by Matisse towards the end of his life, it could be said that he was trying to depict life and death through sea creatures.
About the Artist
Henri Matisse was a French artist who is best known for his fluid and distinct artwork. He is amongst the greatest painters of 20th century and helped in revolutionizing art through bold uses of colors and forms to depict objects.