La Belle Epoque

Most of my paintings are figurative, sometimes symbolic. This one is an exception : it’s abstract, even if some figurative elements appears on it. I named it « La Belle Epoque » because it make me think (I don’t now really why) about the art of this era. « La Belle Epoque » is the term used to describe a period that started in Europe – mostly in France-  at the end of the 19th century after the economic crisis and finished when the First World War broke out in 1914. This period is said to be characterized by social, economic, scientific and political progress. It is usually described no without nostalgia as a « Golden Age », as years when optimism ruled.

My first encounter with Poland

Let’s inaugurate the first (of many more to come) article comenting pictures I took while travelling on this small blue planet. Our first destination is Poland during the 2014’s summer. My sweet old camera that travelled with me in Latin America was broken, so I bought a new one. I didn’t have much money, so I bought the cheapest one I’ve found. By chance, this new one has an option the last one didn’t have : we can select a particular color while shooting. This very simple option brought my picture to another level and gave more spaces for my creativity. Poland was the first place where I used this colours option.

The colourful building picture was taken while we made a stop with the bus during our very long trip from Switzerland to Poland (my legs and my back could could testify). This is a typical Soviet-influenced tower we can see in most European countries that have been invaded or at least influenced by the former USSR. This one caught my attention because of its colours that made its gray monotony a bit less sad. Plus that was a good excuse to test my new camera colours option.

Most of those pictures have been taken in the capital, Warsaw. When I was there, that was very special days for Polish people : that was the 70th birthday of the insurerrection against the nazis occupiers that caused the death of several hundreds of thousands of Polish people killed by the Germans. While I was walking in the streets of Warsaw, an alarm rang. People suddenly stopped moving and speaking for some minutes. That was a very moving moment dedicated to the fallen rebels. The red candles we see on the pictures had been lit as a tribute for the victims of those dramatic events.

The picture with the boat and the one with the spiral staircase have been taken in Frombork, the city where Copernicus has been buried.

VoodooKing

As an anthropologist, I’m fascinated by syncretism. This term is used to describe the combining religious beliefs. In Mexico, ancient Aztec traditions are mixed with Christian one. Based on a Christian Festival (All Saints’ Day), the Day of the Dead (el Día de Muertos) also includes pre-colombian believes - the omnipresence of the skulls during the feast is maybe the most obvious evidence. Voodoo is another exemple of syncretism. This Haitian religion that originally comes from the kingdom of Dahomey (Benin), added some christian beliefs in its structure. This painting represent a fictive voodoo god. I added on it a third level of syncretism that is pure fiction : the Inca cross (aka Chacana). This is a symbol of the wealth created by the meetings and mixing of many cultures.

To learn more about voodoo, two indispensable books : the novel «  La Piste des Sortilèges » by the Haitian writer Gary Victor and « Le Vaudou » by the Swiss anthropologist Alfred Métraux.

An Ode to Stephen King

This painting has been inspired by famous Stephen King’s novels called The Dark Tower. During 8 books, the American writer tells the story of Roland Deschain and his quest toward the Dark Tower which is said to be the center of the world. Reaching this tower would  enable Roland to save his decaying world torn up by wars and destruction. Behind the narrative weave apparent simplicity, King created a very particular and complex book where western, horror, science fiction and dark fantasy coexist in surprising harmony. A universe where Middle Ages, Cowboys and futuristic technologies live together. For years, those books has been a part of my life, as I  was waiting impatiently for the next volume to be published. Like no other writer, King has the capacity to make me travel in a fictionnel world. When I read his books, the world outside disapear for a few hours.

The character on the painting is the Crimson King, Roland’s nemesis. He represents the ultimate evil, the one that wants to destroy and conquer this world. He appears in many Stephen King’s book, with different names. I represented him faceless with light blue clothes to create a constrast with the warm colors behind him. On the background, we hardly see the Dark Tower, which represent hope for Roland, guarded by the Crimson King. The red field where the tower stands is made of poppies. The orange sky give us the feeling of a burning summer day.