Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

’s ''Jazz'' is a limited-edition art book containing prints of colorful cut-

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

collages Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

, accompanied by the artist's written thoughts. It was first issued on September 30, 1947, by art publisher

Tériade Tériade is the pen name of Stratis (or Efstratios) Eleftheriades (; 2 May 1897 – 23 October 1983), a Greek writer and native of Mytilene who went to Paris in 1915 at the age of eighteen to study law. He instead became an art critic, patron, an ...

. The portfolio, characterized by vibrant colors, poetic texts, and circus and theater themes, marks Matisse's transition to a new medium.

Original creation

Diagnosed with abdominal cancer in 1941, Matisse underwent surgery that left him chair- and bedbound. Limited in mobility, he could no longer paint or sculpt. Instead, he cut forms from colored paper that he arranged as

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

s, and decoupage which became known as the “cut-outs”. That same year, at the age of 74, Matisse began ''Jazz''. His assistants helped prepare the collages for printing, using a stencil process known as '' pochoir'' in French. He worked on the series for two years, utilizing this new method that linked drawing and color—two important elements in Matisse's work. The designs were initially intended as covers for '' Verve'', a French art magazine published by

. In 1947, Tériade issued the compositions in an artist's portfolio. The book included 20 color prints, each about , as well as Matisse's handwritten notes expressing his thoughts throughout the process. Tériade gave it the title ''Jazz'', which Matisse liked because it suggested a connection between art and

musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of Emotion, emotions and Musical technique, instrumental techn ...

. Despite the low number of books printed, ''Jazz'' was well received. The

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

, the title originally suggested for the book, provided inspiration for the majority of the motifs concerning performing artists and balancing acts. “These images, with their lively and violent tones, derive from crystallizations of memories of circuses, folktales, and voyages,” Matisse explains in the accompanying text. The figure of the circus artist, usually depicted alone, is often seen as a metaphor for the artist himself. The first prints illustrating the circus do not seem to have an immediate connection to the succeeding works. However, these compositions are viewed as metaphors of life. The overall themes in ''Jazz'' derive from biographical elements, such as Matisse's recollection of his travels to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

in the three "Lagoon" sheets (XVII–XIX), as well as broader aspects including love (V, VI), death (X), and fate (XVI).

List of prints

The titles of the individual sheets, together with supplementary explanations by his assistant Lydia Delectorskaya, in English translation, are:

References and sources

;References ;Sources *''Jazz'' by Henri Matisse, introduction by Riva Castleman, George Braziller 1983 *''Jazz'' by Henri Matisse, introduction by Dominique Szymusiak, Editions Anthese 200

External links

Greg Kucera essay on ''Jazz'' by Henri Matisse''Jazz'' title page''Sword Swallower''''Icarus''

''The Cowboy''
by Henri Matisse {{DEFAULTSORT:Jazz Artists' books Henri Matisse 1947 books Prestel Publishing books

Original creation

List of prints

See also

References and sources

External links