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Time-Life Library of Art
The World of Matisse: 1869-1954
Book by Russell, John
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
2 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
John Russell
36 books3 followersJohn Russell CBE (22 January 1919 – 23 August 2008) was an English art critic and journalist.
He started his career at the Tate Gallery in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed during World War II.
He worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty where he met author Ian Fleming, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Russell was chief art critic at the New York Times from 1982 to 1990.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He started his career at the Tate Gallery in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed during World War II.
He worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty where he met author Ian Fleming, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Russell was chief art critic at the New York Times from 1982 to 1990.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 15, 2012
These Time-Life World of… books are good for three reasons. First, they alternate two styles of writing. The first chapter is mostly text, the second just images and captions, and so on. It's a good way to cover a lot of ground without being monotonous. The second good thing about the series is that it's not just eponymous biography. The "World of" any artist they name often includes fellow artists, precursors and disciples, as well as some minor history and psychology. The final positive feature I'll mention is Time-Life's perfect proofing. I mourn the days when you could read a passage of any length without grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. It's a comfort to read something soothingly mistake-free now and then.
The major shortcoming of these books are the various, often genre-straddling writing styles, especially with this particular text's writer John Russell. His imagery is hyperbolic and sometimes even confusing. Anyway, these are didactic textbooks at their best, which is why I'll probably never rate one higher than 3 stars.
Henri Matisse is certainly fascinating. He worked as hard as Cézanne, but remained miraculously sane. He didn't seem to be burdened by the public's opinion, yet remains likable in Parisian society. He lives an uncommonly long life, and manages to reinvent himself repeatedly unto the end. I wasn't surprised to hear that his trip to the South Seas Islands to follow in Gauguin's footsteps fell flat. Matisse proves that the dissipation of most artists cannot be blamed on a career in art. "The energy within you is stronger than ever for being held back, compressed, and said No to."
Not only was he a man of intense purpose and discipline, but he always had the discretion to know where to concentrate his efforts. One trait of his earlier work that struck me was his leaving a model's hands incomplete. It began with his first sculpture The Serf on page 33, where he pulled off the arms, which he considered "superfluous to the expressiveness of the figure". Later in his "Odalisque" series his models' hands rarely have form. I wonder if it was due simply to the movement of the sitter, or their sensory function… Why didn't he consider them essential?… I'll have to do some research.
The major shortcoming of these books are the various, often genre-straddling writing styles, especially with this particular text's writer John Russell. His imagery is hyperbolic and sometimes even confusing. Anyway, these are didactic textbooks at their best, which is why I'll probably never rate one higher than 3 stars.
Henri Matisse is certainly fascinating. He worked as hard as Cézanne, but remained miraculously sane. He didn't seem to be burdened by the public's opinion, yet remains likable in Parisian society. He lives an uncommonly long life, and manages to reinvent himself repeatedly unto the end. I wasn't surprised to hear that his trip to the South Seas Islands to follow in Gauguin's footsteps fell flat. Matisse proves that the dissipation of most artists cannot be blamed on a career in art. "The energy within you is stronger than ever for being held back, compressed, and said No to."
Not only was he a man of intense purpose and discipline, but he always had the discretion to know where to concentrate his efforts. One trait of his earlier work that struck me was his leaving a model's hands incomplete. It began with his first sculpture The Serf on page 33, where he pulled off the arms, which he considered "superfluous to the expressiveness of the figure". Later in his "Odalisque" series his models' hands rarely have form. I wonder if it was due simply to the movement of the sitter, or their sensory function… Why didn't he consider them essential?… I'll have to do some research.
September 22, 2025
I’ll call this an illustrated biography rather than an art book per se. There are not enough illustrations to fully grasp the breadth and depth of his art, but luckily we now have WikiArt to enable us to refer pictorially to the works mentioned in this book but not depicted. That allows me to award this treatment five stars.
July 16, 2020
If the art of the 19th century can be put down to one theme, it's that of starving artists trying to move past the conventions of classic art. It's not that they rejected the tried-and-tested ways of previous masters, but they did see more potential. From Surat's pains around scientific knowledge to Van Gogh's maddening chase after colours, they took on the world and often didn't win.
But eventually this movement would break through, and much of that arrived through Matisse. This book is a brief but insightful exploration of this artist - from his late beginnings after studying law to his continued drive for simplicity and the purest forms of expression. In a way, I found Matisse had a lot in common with other mavericks, such as Rodin, but also kept a certain conservatism that helped him show abstract art is serious work. He could imbue a purpose into abstract work that few could match.
As always, Life's World Of series treats its subject well. It explores the art of Matisse as well as his influences and peers (though,sadly, no Picasso art is present). It also looks at the world in his time, his personal life, and complements it all with gorgeous photos of the art and artists. I found this very satisfying, and a useful entrance into the world of abstract art, which I didn't know much of. Foremost, I learned about just how iconoclastic Matisse was, and that the world of art is so much richer because of him.
But eventually this movement would break through, and much of that arrived through Matisse. This book is a brief but insightful exploration of this artist - from his late beginnings after studying law to his continued drive for simplicity and the purest forms of expression. In a way, I found Matisse had a lot in common with other mavericks, such as Rodin, but also kept a certain conservatism that helped him show abstract art is serious work. He could imbue a purpose into abstract work that few could match.
As always, Life's World Of series treats its subject well. It explores the art of Matisse as well as his influences and peers (though,sadly, no Picasso art is present). It also looks at the world in his time, his personal life, and complements it all with gorgeous photos of the art and artists. I found this very satisfying, and a useful entrance into the world of abstract art, which I didn't know much of. Foremost, I learned about just how iconoclastic Matisse was, and that the world of art is so much richer because of him.
November 22, 2017
I had a better understanding and appreciation for the ushering in the Modern Art movement after reading the life of Henri Matisse. What started out as the "simplification" of painting and breaking down forms into color, his art encouraged a new generation of artists to break down art into new forms and shapes (like Henri's paper-cutouts). Like the Impressionists and Marcel Duchamp, Matisse challenged people to redefine their idea of "what is art?"
February 14, 2018
Beautiful art reproduction gave this book an extra star. This Time-Life series is really remarkable. Most of the books in the series fit the artist's work into their historical period well to add insights into the work. However, this volume spent less time with the history, perhaps because Matisse spanned so many rapidly changing time periods. Just the same, a lot of time was spent almost deifying the artist, which did not add insights into interpreting the artist's creations.
March 2, 2020
Like all the books in the series, this was very informative. But the writing was not as strong in this one, and I felt like important information was left out. For example, the author casually says that Matisse's wife left him, without any reason whatsoever, or even how Matisse felt about it. Nonetheless, good reproductions of the artwork and overview of his career.
August 11, 2007
This was a good general biography of Henri Matisse, including his influences and friends. I felt the author strayed and spent too much time covering his friends Derian and Vlamnick, detracting from the main subject.
August 24, 2013
Reading about his struggle for simplicity in regards to art, simplified my mind a bit.
It's a good book, mentions other artists similar to Matisse, includes some pictures, it's good.
It's a good book, mentions other artists similar to Matisse, includes some pictures, it's good.
October 4, 2013
A decent cursory look at the life and artwork of Henri Matisse. Apart from a too-often general approach to the artist, the book suffers by placing plates at a great distance from their discussion.
March 5, 2015
Short illustrated biography about Matisse and his work.
April 5, 2023
Places too much importance on Matisses social connections and patrons, and does not focus enough on his style and ethos. Other than that, it's a pretty decent account of his life.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews