UPPER EAST SIDE — He made still lifes seem anything but stilted.
Henri Matisse, the French master painter, is the focus of a new exhibit at is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which sheds light on artist's grueling, self-critical creative process.
"Matisse: In Search of True Painting" opens Dec. 4 and explores Matisse's unique mix of traditional technique with a revolutionary approach to color, expression and motion.
The show features 49 canvases and aims to show how Matisse, who died in 1954, progressed from one painting to the next, museum officials said.
The paintings on display include copies of classic artworks, which were part of Matisse's training, according to the Met.
Visitors will also be able to see the influence of earlier artists on Matisse's work, as in "Still Life with Purro," which shows Matisse's interest in Paul Cezanne's diagonal brushstrokes and Paul Signac's cartoonish colors.
Matisse's final painted series, completed from 1944 to 1948 in Vence, France, shows Matisse's use of color "as a means of intimate expression," museum officials said.
"Matisse: In Search of True Painting" runs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at East 82nd Street, through March 17, 2013. Audio tours of the exhibit cost $7 for adults, $6 for members and $5 for children under 12.
