Henri Matisse Jazz: A symphony of Cut-outs and creativity

The text below is the excerpt of the book Henri Matisse (ISBN: 9798894055749), written by Henri Matisse, published by Parkstone International.

Henri Matisse’s Jazz is a work of visual and poetic rhythm, in which text and image are closely intertwined. The handwritten pages that accompany the color plates were not meant as traditional reading material, but as a kind of visual punctuation – an ornamental interlude between the vibrant “cut-outs.” As Matisse himself explained:

“I must present color plates in the conditions most favorable to them. For this, I must separate them with intervals of a different nature. I judged that handwritten text suited this purpose best. The exceptional size of the writing seemed necessary to me, in order to be in decorative harmony with the character of the color plates. These pages therefore serve only as an accompaniment to my colors, as asters help in the composition of a bouquet of more important flowers. THEIR ROLE IS THEREFORE PURELY SPECTACULAR.”

While the spirit of these handwritten texts is primarily visual, their content still offers a unique insight into the artist’s thoughts and sensibilities. However, Matisse’s original French – written in a highly stylized, calligraphic hand – can be difficult to read, especially for non-native speakers. In the interest of accessibility and understanding, we have provided at the end of this edition a faithful translation of the text in English. This addition aims to support a deeper appreciation of the book without interfering with its original visual and poetic integrity.

English translation:

Why, after “Whoever wants to give himself over to painting must begin by having his tongue cut out“, do I need to use means other than my own? This time, I have to represent coloured plates in conditions that are most favourable to them. To do this, I have to separate them by intervals of a different character. I felt that handwriting was best suited to this purpose. The exceptional size of the handwriting seems to me to be obligatory to be in a decorative relationship with the character of the colour plates.

So, these pages serve only as an accompaniment to my colours, just as asters help in the composition of a bouquet of flowers of greater importance. THEIR ROLE IS SOLELY SPECTACULAR. What can I write? I can’t fill these pages with fables by La Fontaine, as I used to do when I was a solicitor’s clerk, for “conclusions sommaires“, which nobody ever reads, not even the judge, and which are only done to use up a quantity of stamped paper commensurate with the importance of the case. So, all that’s left for me to do is report, even if the judge doesn’t, which is only done to use up a quantity of stamped paper commensurate with the importance of the case. All that remains is for me to report that the writings of painters are generally respected.

Let’s take a look at some of his works in our book: