“Themes and Variations” is a series of drawings created by Matisse in his Nice apartment-studio in 1941–1942. Published under this title in February 1943, with a long introduction by Aragon, the volume features 158 drawings organized into 17 “series” or “suites.” The “themes” are study drawings in pencil, while the “variations,” described as “inspired drawings,” are done in ink or pencil. The female body and domestic objects form a dual theme. “For the past year I have made an considerable effort in drawing. I say ‘effort,’ but that is a mistake, for what has emerged is a flowering after fifty years of effort”