--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The use of expressive colors is felt to…" description: "\"The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.\" — Henri Matisse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg" --- # The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the… ![“The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.” quote by Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg) > “The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.” [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expressive colors are seen as essential to modern thought, driven by historical forces rather than personal preference. **In simple terms:** Colors shape modern mindset due to history. Key Takeaway Recognize how cultural forces shape artistic choices. Themes art history modernity color theory Mood reflective analytical Type interpretive theoretical When to use this quote - painting - design - interior decoration - fashion - advertising Key Concepts Aesthetics cultural determinism visual perception Questions to Reflect On - How do historical contexts dictate artistic palettes? - Can color choices ever be purely personal? A Different Perspective Colors may be influenced by market trends, limiting true expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Colors Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colors-felt-5368524/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Expressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressive/) [Expressive Colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressive-colors-5368522/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical Necessity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-necessity-2059082/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Mentality Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality-historical-5368523/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-mentality-2886258/) [Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbow/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [“The modern mentality is the child of human pride puffed up by commercial advertising.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/the-modern-mentality-is-the-child-of-human-pride-puffed-up-by/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“... "the historical necessity of development" -- you can spout that nonsense about anything and you'll always be right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-historical-necessity-of-development-you-can-spout-that-nonsense/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The concept of historical necessity is the product of rational thought and arrived in Russia by the Western route. The idea of the noble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-concept-of-historical-necessity-is-the-product-of-rational/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Unlike a state, a writer cannot plead the historical necessity of his actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/unlike-a-state-a-writer-cannot-plead-the-historical-necessity-of-his/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [This is what I believe: That we are not pushed from behind by the casual unfolding of historical necessity, but that we are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-what-i-believe-that-we-are-not-pushed-from-behind-by-the/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Bourgeois class domination is undoubtedly an historical necessity, but, so too, the rising of the working class against it. Capital is an historical necessity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-luxemburg/bourgeois-class-domination-is-undoubtedly-an-historical-necessity-but/) [Rosa Luxemburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-luxemburg/) > [The whole arrangement of my picture is expressive. The place occupied by the figures or objects, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-whole-arrangement-of-my-picture-is-expressive-the-place-occupied/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/there-is-nothing-more-difficult-for-a-truly-creative-painter-than-to/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Expression is not a matter of passion mirrored on the human face or revealed by a violent gesture. When I paint a picture, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/expression-is-not-a-matter-of-passion-mirrored-on-the-human-face-or/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/drawing-is-like-making-an-expressive-gesture-with-the-advantage-of/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Expression for me does not reside in passions glowing in a human face or manifested by violent movement. The entire arrangement of my picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/expression-for-me-does-not-reside-in-passions-glowing-in-a-human-face/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“I can tell by your eyes. You have very expressive eyes, Amery. Your emotions are right there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorelei-james/i-can-tell-by-your-eyes-you-have-very-expressive-eyes-amery-your/) [Lorelei James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorelei-james/) > [“Hands could be such expressive things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/hands-could-be-such-expressive-things/) [Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/) > [I plan not to only be expressive creatively but to also be strategic in my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koffee/i-plan-not-to-only-be-expressive-creatively-but-to-also-be-strategic/) [Koffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koffee/) ## More by Henri Matisse > [The wall around the window does not create two worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-wall-around-the-window-does-not-create-two-worlds/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Arrival = Prison, and the artist must never be a prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/arrival-prison-and-the-artist-must-never-be-a-prisoner/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [To arrive is to be in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/to-arrive-is-to-be-in-prison/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back on the ticket. I would have felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-saw-what-a-mess-everything-was-in-i-asked-for-my-money-back-on/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [A painting in an interior spreads joy around it by the colors, which calm us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/a-painting-in-an-interior-spreads-joy-around-it-by-the-colors-which/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature. It was given to us so that we can express our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/color-was-not-given-to-us-in-order-that-we-should-imitate-nature-it/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [If it is practiced by a man of taste, the photograph will have the appearance of art (but) the photographer must...intervene as little as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/if-it-is-practiced-by-a-man-of-taste-the-photograph-will-have-the/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have a light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-have-always-tried-to-hide-my-efforts-and-wished-my-works-to-have-a/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [The chief function of color should be to serve expression as well as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-chief-function-of-color-should-be-to-serve-expression-as-well-as/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [One gets into a state of creativity by conscious work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/one-gets-into-a-state-of-creativity-by-conscious-work/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [My pictures are made up of four or five colors that collide with one another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/my-pictures-are-made-up-of-four-or-five-colors-that-collide-with-one/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [What I dream of is an art of balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/what-i-dream-of-is-an-art-of-balance/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [...I am driven on by an idea that I really only grasp as it grows with the picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-am-driven-on-by-an-idea-that-i-really-only-grasp-as-it-grows-with/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-don-t-paint-things-i-only-paint-the-difference-between-things/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [After a half-century of hard work and reflection the wall is still there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/after-a-half-century-of-hard-work-and-reflection-the-wall-is-still/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) [Explore all 219 Henri Matisse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical necessity, beyond choice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Matisse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to-be-one-of-the-basic-elements/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to-be-one-of-the-basic-elements/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/henri-matisse-1641_choices_the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to_2288680.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The use of expressive colors is felt to be one of the basic elements of the modern mentality, an historical…” — Henri Matisse", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henri Matisse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The use of expressive colors is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to-be-one-of-the-basic-elements/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-use-of-expressive-colors-is-felt-to-be-one-of-the-basic-elements/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```