 |
Fine Art Le Lanceur de couteaux (The Knife Thrower)
is a paper cutout by Henri Matisse from 1947. The artwork is part of his renowned artist's book, Jazz, which consists of a portfolio of 20 plates featuring abstract compositions inspired by the circus, ballet, and historical events.
After having surgery for cancer in 1941, Matisse used a technique of cutting out shapes from paper, a method he often used while confined to a bed or wheelchair. The original cutouts were then transformed into prints using a labor-intensive stencil technique known as pochoir.
In this specific piece, Matisse depicts a knife thrower on the left, a figure with sharp angles and jagged edges, in contrast to the pale blue figure of the target on the right, which has gentle, undulating lines. The target figure's "flowery, trusting heart" is represented by decorative forms on her chest. |
| Press |
|
