The Lagoon, plate XVIII from the illustrated book Jazz, 1947

This colorful work is one of the calmer cut outs in Matisse’s Jazz. This illustrated book was a turning point in Matisse’s career and where he began to showcase his cut-out compositions. Matisse began this artform after a surgery in 1941 left him bedridden and too weak to stand in front of a canvas. The Lagoon is one of the calmer compositions in the book with the wavering lines mimicking the ripples on the surface of water. The colors dynamically enhance the curves of the abstract forms while the white creates a kind of frame.

Original Medium: pochoir

Original Size:

Date: 1947

Location: Indiana University Art Museum