Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) is regarded as one of the great innovators of 20th century art, alongside Pablo Picasso. As a leader of the Fauvist movement, Matisse spent over half a century exploring the expressive language of colour. He argued that an artist does not have total control, and enjoyed the act of losing himself to the forces of design, form and colour. Through this intuitive process, he created harmony in his famous compositions.