Henri Matisse was the most influential painter of the third quarter of the 20th century, as Picasso had been of the second quarter, and Cézanne of the first quarter.
After surgery in 1941, he remained bedridden for most of the remainder of his life, but Matisse felt philosophically reborn.
He changed his method of work: instead of painting, he covered sheets of paper with brilliantly hued gouache.
Next, he cut out shapes with scissors, and pasted the shapes on flat paper supports.
He called the results decoupages or cut-outs.
These cut-outs had the wholeness of gesture that most abstract painting could not reach.
At an age when most artists are repeating themselves, Matisse re-entered and redefined the avant-garde.