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Why did Henri Matisse leave his job as a law clerk?
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Henri Matisse
French artist Henri Matisse, photograph by Alvin Langdon Coburn, 1913.
Henri Matisse left his position as a law clerk in 1891 to pursue a career as a professional artist in Paris.1
His transition away from the legal profession began after he discovered a passion for painting while recovering from a severe case of appendicitis in 1890. During his convalescence, he began by copying colored reproductions and decorating his grandparents' home, which eventually led him to abandon his law career entirely to dedicate himself to his artistic studies.1