Henri Matisse, back in Paris, reads Paul…
1899 CE
He furthers his research into new techniques by buying, from Vollard, a painting by Paul Cézanne, The Three Bathers (1875-77); one by Paul Gauguin, Boy's Head; and a drawing by Vincent van Gogh.
Often accompanied by his close friend Albert Marquet, who is also interested in the problem of pure color, Matisse begins to paint outdoor scenes in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, in suburban Arcueil, and from the open window of his apartment overlooking the Seine.
He also purchases from Vollard the plaster model of the bust of Henri Rochefort by Auguste Rodin, and during 1899 he begins to attend an evening class in sculpture.
His early work in three dimensions (the first of some sixty pieces he will execute during his lifetime) reveals the influence not only of Rodin but also of Antoine-Louis Barye, generally considered the greatest French sculptor of animals.