Ocean State Libraries

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter credited as being among the first to truly venture into abstract art. He persisted in expressing his internal world of abstraction despite negative criticism from his peers. He veered away from painting that could be viewed as representational in order to express his emotions, leading to his unique use of colour and form. Although his works received heavy censure at the time, in later years they...

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was the great French painter of modern times. In the early years of the century he became the leader of a group of avant-garde artists called the Fauves ("wild beasts"), known for their use of brilliant, aggressive colors. His career spanned more than five decades and during that time he developed many other styles, from austere variations on Cubism to sensual interiors and figure paintings. Throughout his life, Matisse remained...