Matisse Jazz, 1947 SkateboardIn 1942, Henri Matisse was asked to create a book of colored paper cut outs. He decided to use his then preferred technique of cut outs, filling the pages with carefully crafted collages and clashing colors on gouache painted paper. His initial inspiration was the circus and its iconography of lonely acrobats, folklore and distant travels. Later, the publisher suggested Jazz as a title, which led the artist to visually explore the link between art and