
© Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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© Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.


Henri Matisse
French, 1869-1954
L'enterrement de Pierrot (Pierrot's Funeral) from Jazz, 1947
pochoir print
Edition: 212/250
sheet: 16 1/2 x 25 5/8 inches (41.91 x 65.09 cm)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1948
RCA1948:11.1.10
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Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms
During the 1930s, Henri Matisse began making collages as studies for paintings and sculptures by arranging cut paper into decorative configurations. Bedridden during a prolonged convalescence following a serious operation in 1941, he began to consider further the possibilities that “painting with scissors” offered—an experiment that endured for the last decade of his life. A renowned master colorist, but also a deft draftsman whose command over arabesque lines was unparalleled, Matisse was able to unite both facets of his practice in the cut-outs.
Matisse once commented that “Jazz is rhythm and meaning,” and the title of this work suggests a connection between the process of making visual art and musical improvisation. Jazz is one of the fantastical imaginings to hail from this period and is also the only book both written and illustrated by the artist. The twenty vivid pochoir (the French word for “stencil”) prints that comprise the portfolio are based on images realized from various shapes cut out of gouache-painted sheets of paper and are accompanied by poetic notes expressing the artist’s thoughts and opinions. The subjects of these compositions range from Matisse’s childhood memories and travel experiences to depictions of the circus and music halls that are unique to Jazz and do not appear anywhere else in the artist’s oeuvre. However, many other individual motifs, such as figures in motion and leaf shapes, reemerge in his later works.
Label from Matisse and the Art of Jazz, January 20–July 1, 2018
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Other Works by This Artist
- Notre-Dame, une fin d'après-midi (A Glimpse of Notre Dame in the Late Afternoon) ,
- Le coeur (The Heart) from Jazz ,
- Le destin (Destiny) from Jazz ,
- Le cheval, l'écuyère et le clown (The Horse, the Circus Rider and the Clown) from Jazz ,
- [text folios, colophon page and Table des Images (Table of Images)] from Jazz ,
- Icare (Icarus) from Jazz ,
- Le cirque (The Circus) from Jazz ,
- Le loup (The Wolf) from Jazz ,
- Monsieur Loyal from Jazz ,
- Formes (Forms) from Jazz ,
- Les Codomas (The Codomas) from Jazz ,
- Le tobogan (The Toboggan) from Jazz ,
- La nageuse dans l'aquarium (The Swimmer in the Aquarium) from Jazz ,
- Le cauchemar de l'éléphant blanc (The Nightmare of the White Elephant) from Jazz ,
- Le lagon (The Lagoon) from Jazz ,
- Le clown (The Clown) from Jazz ,
- Le cow-boy (The Cowboy) from Jazz ,
- Le lanceur de couteaux (The Knife Thrower) from Jazz ,
- Le lagon (The Lagoon) from Jazz ,
- Le lagon (The Lagoon) from Jazz ,
- Jazz ,
- Odalisque debout au plateau de fruits (Standing Odalisque with Tray of Fruit) ,
- Nu au bracelet (Nude with Bracelet) ,
- Figure de dos au collier noir (Figure from Back with Black Collar) ,
- Haïtienne (Haitian) ,
- Le repos du modéle (Model in Repose) ,
- La lecture, nu de profil (Reading, Nude in Profile) ,
- L'Idole (The Idol) ,
- Figure dans un intérieur (Figure in an Interior) ,
- Les yeux noirs (Black Eyes) ,
- Nude Standing ,
- Nu couché I (Aurore) [Reclining Nude I (Aurora)] ,
- La Musique ,
- L'avaleur de sabres (The Sword Swallower) from Jazz ,
- Le grand nu (The Large Nude) ,
- Odalisque assise à la jupe de tulle (Seated Odalisque in a Tulle Skirt) ,
- Nu assise, vu de dos (Seated Nude, Back Turned) ,
- Tête de femme (Head of a Woman) ,
- Reclining Woman ,
- Visage légèrement penché vers la gauche (Face Slightly Leaning to the Left) ,
- Souvenir of Notre Dame ,
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