Three delightful stories inspired by a painting of Henri Matisse—from the Booker Prize-winning author of Possession and “a writer of dazzling inventiveness" (Time). "[An] exquisite triptych.... Richly drawn and touches upon things that matter to people." —People These stories celebrate the eye even as they reveal its unexpected proximity to the heart. For if each of A.S. Byatt's narratives is in some way inspired by a painting of Henri Matisse, each is also about the intimate connection between seeing and feeling—about the ways in which a glance we meant to be casual may suddenly call forth the deepest reserves of our being. Beautifully written, intensely observed, The Matisse Stories is fiction of spellbinding authority. "Full of delight and humor.... The Matisse Stories is studded with brilliantly apt images and a fine sense for subtleties of conversation and emotion." —San Francisco Chronicle

Each story is in some way inspired by a painting of Henri Matisse, each is also about the intimate connection between seeing and feeling -- about the ways in which a glance we meant to be casual may suddenly call forth the deepest reserves of our being. Their subjects' lives unravel from simple beginnings -- a trip to the hair dresser, a cleaning woman's passion for knitting, lunch in a Chinese restaurant but gradually the veneer of ordinariness is peeled back to expose pain, reveal desire, or express the intensity of joy in color and creation. These stories are all about human beings: about how little we can know (or may care to know) about the people with whom we spend our lives, and how tragic the results of that ignorance or indifference can be.

A collection of three stories, each haunted in a different way by the spirit of Matisse, from the winner of the 1990 Booker Prize for Possession.

Step into the colorful world of Henri Matisse and his magnificent paper cutouts in this biography by acclaimed picture book creator Jeanette Winter. In a small weaving town in France, a young boy named Henri-Emile Matisse drew pictures everywhere, and when he grew up, he moved to Paris and became a famous artist who created paintings that were adored around the world. But late in life a serious illness confined him to a wheelchair, and amazingly, it was from there that he created among his most beloved works—enormous and breathtaking paper cutouts. Based on the life of Henri Matisse, this moving and inspirational picture book biography includes a note from the author, dynamic quotes from Matisse himself, and an illuminating look at a little-known part of a great artist’s creative process.

Set against the backdrop of well-known works by the artist, Henri Matisse, rhyming text tells a story from the artwork.

Shows how the artist Henri Matisse used bold colors to create strikingly beautiful art. The story follows a colorless snail on a quest to find its own colors. After discovering a number of Matisse's paintings, the snail magically takes on a range of colors from the artworks. Matisse really did create an artwork called, The Snail. He made it in his old age, when he could no longer hold a paintbrush for long. Instead of painting a snail, he made a picture of one by sticking pieces of brightly colored paper onto canvas. The book helps us understand how particular colors make us feel, and appreciate the simplicity and beauty of Matisse's amazing art. Contains biographical information about the artist at the end of story.

Tells the story of the artist Matisse designing the Chapelle du Rosaire.