Jazz (Henri Matisse)
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Jazz ( 1947) is a work of book art, with twenty illustrations and texts by Henri Matisse. It is based on silhouettes and is one of the most important art books of the 20th century. Tériade, a well known Greek- French art publisher, published it in 1947.
Formation
" Cut into it directly in the color reminds me of the work of the sculptor in stone. For this spirit my book was [ ... ] These pictures are from in vibrant and bold shades crystallized memories of the circus, folk tales or travel incurred. "
As Matisse began the project, he was over 70 years old and in poor health, "painting with scissors " relieved him of his artistic work. As in previous years, he used a pair of scissors to cut out simple shapes from papers that were stained with monochrome gouache paints according to his instructions. The cuts he arranged with the help of an assistant on sheets of paper, which were also inked. These compositions were used as a master. In the edition take fifteen pictures a double-page spread, while five images occupy a left or right side and Matisse's calligraphic lines are compared.
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Jazz was released in the fall of 1947 - the papercut templates created in 1943 / 44th The book is the culmination of Matisse's technique of " papiers découpés ". His publisher Tériade, with whom he worked Verve in other publications such as the magazine, let the book in a new elaborate stencil printing, stencil, produce. The title is derived from the improvisation and the rhythm of the images that make the reference to the musical style jazz. Motifs that represent clowns, acrobats, trick rider and sword swallowers, point to the originally planned title " Cirque " (Circus). Jesters and acrobats serve as metaphors for the artistic existence. The text in Matisse's handwriting does not illustrate the pictures, he reflected with him Matisse 's artistic means and philosophizes on topics such as happiness, death or God. The written with black ink texts form a counterweight to the color illustrations.
The originals of the limited first edition of 250 copies were not bound, since the bond would have destroyed the images. Buyers of the book could be design envelopes that held the pages.
Importance
Jazz is one of the most successful artists' books in limited editions that were created by artists of the 20th century, alongside Picasso, Chagall and Raoul Dufy. Some prints of jazz have become classic images that are often reproduced as a poster such as Icarus.