Matisse and Picasso

            Though Matisse and Picasso were separated by twelve years, both of their artworks were great enough to make history. Both of these men had to live through some tough times and hardships including both World Wars. Even while the war was taking place around them, their work took the priority spot within their lives and was almost always unaffected by their surroundings. Sure, the loss of loved ones, or the inability to stand played major parts in their lives and shows within their works, but who wouldn’t that effect?

            By some people, Matisse is considered to be the father of modern art since the dawn of the twentieth century, but one could also state that both of these great and influential artists are the creators of modern art. Separately, both Matisse and Picasso were so close in age and talent that it was almost if they were competing against each other. Some would call it a rivalry, or even a dialogue, while others would go as far as calling it a chess game where the pieces get taken from each side. Even Matisse once described it like a boxing match between two titans. Even though it was kind of like a game to see who would become the winner, they both realized that because the other existed, so did their pieces of art. One without the other would throw the “game” off balance because there would be no more competition, no one to challenge, and no one to stimulate the other into doing the best work possible. Though they were separate, they were actually combined in the way that they painted the ugly (to others who had not yet seen these works), but the outcome was something beautiful.

The Fall of Icarus - Matisse

The Red Onions - Matisse

Rose Nude - Matisse

            They are both known for their respective “periods” of art that classify them in a way. Matisse is well known for his pleasure in artworks containing the human body (mostly female) and a sort of interior design for homes. Also, later on in his life, the cutouts from colored paper gave him quite a reputation in simple but tremendous artwork. Picasso on the other hand is well known for his artwork, which created the actual “periods” of art. These periods include the “Blue,” “Rose,” “Cubist,” and the “Neoclassical.” The blue period focused mainly upon thoughts of poverty and depression. The rose period depicted acrobats and harlequins. The cubist period when he worked with Georges Braque and finally the neoclassical period where he created works that resembled ancient Greece. Therefore, both of these great artists deserve attention towards their artwork and themselves because they thought "outside the box."

Blue Nude - Picasso

Woman with a Flower - Picasso

The Weeping Woman - Picasso