So he began cutting abstract forms from sheets of paper that had been painted with single flat hues of gouache—a practice Matisse had invented in 1930 and that he called “drawing with scissors.” ...

Drawing, he’d say, is simply concentrated painting. Matisse’s radical sense of freedom, exuberance, bold use of color and obvious child-like wonder make one feel alive. His paintings are alive ...

So he began cutting abstract forms from sheets of paper that had been painted with single flat hues of gouache—a practice Matisse had invented in 1930 and that he called “drawing with scissors.” ...