Purple Beeches

The artwork of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) "Purple Beeches" was created as an expression of the belief that the painting should be a reflection of the artist's subjective experience and not an imitation of reality. Thus, perspective and volume are neglected in favour of flat-painted surfaces through which the artist expresses his feelings, while the colour, used rather spontaneously, ceases to have a descriptive function. With this understanding of art, Matisse will open the door wide to the Fauvists - the first avant-garde movement in painting, as well as to the comprehensive liberation of artists on the path of expressing their own experience of reality.