Le Cap Layet

1903

First trip to Italy

The first of two trips to Italy (the second in 1908); apart from them he left Saint-Clair only for the annual Indépendants exhibitions in Paris. His late works show an Italian influence: a softer style and a less systematic technique.

1904

Meets Henri Matisse

In 1904 he meets Matisse; in the final, productive period of his work he turns to mythological motifs. The late Cross strongly influenced Matisse and other artists and helped shape the principles of Fauvism.

1905

First solo exhibition at the Galerie Druet

The Galerie Druet in Paris shows thirty paintings and thirty watercolors by Cross. The success is complete: the critics praise it, most of the works are sold, and the catalogue preface is written by the Belgian Symbolist poet Emile Verhaeren.