the Matisse Jazz Project at Artistree Community Arts Center

In 1941 the artist Henri Matisse found himself ill, bedridden, and unable
to pick up a paint brush. He found, however, that he could maneuver
scissors through prepared sheets of brightly colored paper. He referred to
this technique as “painting with scissors.” Among his first adventures with
paper cutouts was a book called Jazz, which Matisse prepared in 1942
and published in 1947. The book containing twenty color plates as well as
his written thoughts was initially only printed in a hundred copies.
Matisse viewed jazz as a “chromatic and rhythmic improvisation.” The ...

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In 1941 the artist Henri Matisse found himself ill, bedridden, and unable
to pick up a paint brush. He found, however, that he could maneuver
scissors through prepared sheets of brightly colored paper. He referred to
this technique as “painting with scissors.” Among his first adventures with
paper cutouts was a book called Jazz, which Matisse prepared in 1942
and published in 1947. The book containing twenty color plates as well as
his written thoughts was initially only printed in a hundred copies.
Matisse viewed jazz as a “chromatic and rhythmic improvisation.” The
title Jazz evoked for Matisse the idea of a structure of rhythm and repetition
broken by the unexpected action of improvisations. He wrote, “There are
wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the
being at one with the audience.”

Both the text and the cut outs inspired the musicians to make what they refer to
as musical reflections on Matisse’s work. Matisse used the energy of a still
young musical idiom called jazz in enticing the art world to “teach the eye to hear.”

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