Ma·tisse  (mə-tēs', mä-)  French artist. A leading fauvist, he employed pure color, simple shapes, and an exquisite sense of design to produce paintings, such as The Dance (1932), and collages that have influenced the course of modern art. |
A French painter and sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Matisse, known for his brilliant colors and bold brushstrokes, had a major influence on modern art.