4. EXPRESSION

Henri Matisse once said that “colour was not given to us in order that we should imitate nature” but rather it “was given to us so that we can express our emotions”.

The French painter was a prime proponent of a movement known as Fauvism, which brought a complete freedom of expression and visual interpretation to the world of painting and colour. “What characterised Fauvism was that we rejected imitative colours, and that with pure colours we obtained stronger reactions – more striking reactions,” he said. Through this style of painting, Matisse was attempting to return to the innocence of his childhood, yet he credited his ultimate freedom to his academic training.

Matisse and his fellow