Matisse and Picasso: friends and rivals

When a rivalry exists between two individuals, it can be exhausting and destructive. Not everyone is keen on the idea of knowing someone whose abilities can parallel or surpass their particular skill. However, in the case of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, there is definitely something positive to be said about the spirit of competition. They were both definitely heavyweights in the realm of Modernism, and although they were undoubtedly brilliant and innovative on their own, the creativity they inspired in each other resulted in some very remarkable, revolutionary art for both of them.

The Matisse Picasso exhibit, at The Museum of Modern Art in Queens, illustrates their collaboration. Running until May 19, the museum is displaying 132 works by both artists. Stylistically similar pieces hang side by side so that the audience can observe the striking similarities that the paintings, drawings and sculptures share.

Matisse and Picasso met in Paris in 1906, marking the beginning of a fifty-year relationship. Henri Matisse was considerably older than Picasso, being twelve years his senior, and their personalities could not have been more different. Picasso was an extroverted, social and radical bohemian, while Matisse was known for being introverted and somber. Their painting styles also differed; while Matisse was known for his rich use of color and harmonious formats, Picasso was more conceptual, emphasizing form and preferring emotional expression over harmony in his work. Even so, the two became friends, a phenomenon that both of them credited to their admiration for each other's art and their close study of each other's techniques.

However, the friendship was not without its reservations and rough edges- from the very beginning, they fought for the spotlight and for economic success in the world of art. The competition was fairly fierce because they were both so good. One of their colleagues noted, "They were the two painters of whom the most was expected."

This competition made each of them the closest observer of the other's work, a situation that consciously, or inadvertently, came to show itself in their art. The influence of Picasso's mask-like portraiture can be seen in Matisse's Portrait of the Artist's Wife (1913) and other works. And Matisse's bold color choice eventually infiltrated Picasso's works, particularly his nudes, such as Nude in a Black Armchair (1932). Matisse did experiment with Picasso's Cubism, and Picasso began to use live models instead of photographs or memory, following Matisse's example.

It is not always easy to identify who influenced whom, nor is it easy to make generalizations about which one of them invented a style they both share. Nudes and figures were similar in the two artists' styles, both of them embracing distortion and illogically shaped figures. Early examples of these can be seen in Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and later, Matisse's Decorative Figure on an Ornamental Background (1925-26). When one would come up with a new style or concept, the other observed, studied, absorbed and tried to outdo his rival. Matisse once went so far as to call Picasso a "bandit."

In their fifty-year friendship, Picasso and Matisse were not living in the same place very often, nor did they always keep in-touch. Still, their work remained, as Matisse noted, "strangely in agreement." They influenced each other and thus enriched their own creations with fresh imagination. After the German occupation of France, both artists remained in the country. When World War II was over, Picasso moved to the south of France, where Matisse was residing. Since they could see each other more often, their relationship became closer but no less competitive.

Such a deep understanding between two artists is a rare thing. They shared not only a similar creative and aesthetic vision, but the capability to appreciate the rivalry as an opportunity to learn and grow. Matisse knew how precious this relationship was, and described it perfectly when he declared, "We must talk to each other as much as we can. When one of us dies, there will be some things that the other will never be able to talk of with anyone else."