Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

In Greek mythology, Icarus was a boy whose father made him a pair of wings from bird feathers fastened together with wax. Icarus flew higher and higher in the sky, ignoring his father's warning not to fly too close to the sun. As he rose, the sun's heat softened the wax that held the feathers in place. The wings broke apart and Icarus fell into the sea. Henri Matisse depicts Icarus's plummet against a starry sky. Although his wings are gone, his heart is bright red, perhaps symbolizing the passion with which he pursued the impossible.

Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art has a complete copy of Matisse's Jazz (Eskenazi Museum of Art 65.23.1–.20) in its original slipcase bearing a personal inscription to the artist’s friend Jean Puy, a Post-Impressionist painter.