Artiste
“Time flies by, and carries away Our tender caresses for ever. Time flies far from this happy oasis And does not return.” Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann The Tales of Hoffmann is an opéra fantastique by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final [...]
“Genius has no gender” - Eugénie de Montijo Hailed by her contemporaries as the most popular animal-painter, male or female, of the nineteenth century, the French artist Rosa Bonheur (1822-99) lived to see her name become a household word. In a century that did its best to keep women" in their place," Bonheur, like George [...]
"Former model, single, independent woman, Victorine Meurent is one of the many forgotten women artists neglected by history." Valeryia Morozov Victorine-Louise Meurent (also Meurant; February 18, 1844 – March 17, 1927) was a French painter and a model for painters. Although she is best known as the favorite model of Édouard Manet, she was an artist in her own right who regularly [...]
Painting : Madonna and Child, 1907–08 Text is taken from Wikepidia Marianne Stokes (née Preindlsberger; 1855–1927) was an Austrian painter. She settled in England after her marriage to Adrian Scott Stokes (1854–1935), the landscape painter, whom she had met in Pont-Aven. Stokes was considered one of the leading women artists in Victorian England. Preindlsberger was born in Graz, Styria. She first studied [...]
As a continuity with last week's post about the book Letters of Note, here is a much smaller book, without images this one, Letters of Note : Love, a collection of love letters compiled by Shaun Usher. "First published in 2020, Letters of Note: Love is a compulsive collection of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and powerful letters with [...]
THEN ...Then came the night and brought your dream In the quiet blaze of stars. And the smiling day went marching by Where the wild, breathless roses are. I long now for a May of dreams, The moment when your love appears. I'd like to blaze upon your mouth A dream-time of a thousand years. [...]
I saw this painting (up here) online that completely mesmerized me : Bacchanalian Scene by Agnes Tait. I had never heard of this artist and decided to do a little research and present her here. Not much is to be found on the internet, as is often the case with women artists, the most information [...]
Letters of Note is a collection of one hundred and twenty five of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and unusual letters, based on the seismically popular website of the same name - an online museum of correspondence visited by over 70 million people, compiled by Shaun Usher. From Virginia Woolf's heart-breaking suicide letter, to Queen Elizabeth [...]
"true art lies in a reality that is felt." Odilon Redon Odilon Redon (1840-1916), an individualist who believed in the superiority of the imagination over observation of nature, rejected the Realism and Impressionism of his contemporaries in favor of a more personal artistic vision. After a discouraging experience studying academic painting in Paris, he returned [...]
“Mirrors are the doors through which Death comes; look long enough in a mirror and you will see Death at work.” Orpheus a 1950 French film directed by Jean Cocteau and starring Jean Marais. It is the central part of Cocteau's Orphic Trilogy, which consists of The Blood of a Poet (1930), Orpheus (1950), and Testament of Orpheus (1960). Over the course of thirty years, [...]
1-5. Erect no monument. Allow the rose to unfurl each year on his behalf. For it's Orpheus. His metamorphosis in this, in that. We needn't bother with other names. Once and forever it's Orpheus, when there's song. He comes and goes. Isn't it grace enough when now and then he stays on a few days, [...]
"In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?" Igor Stravinsky Orpheus was the brain-child of Lincoln Kirstein who specifically wanted a companion-piece for Apollo to grace the second season of his new venture, Ballet Society. Stravinsky was not normally responsive to being told what sort of music [...]
"'Where does our story take place, and when?' asked Cocteau at the start of Orphée. 'It's the privilege of legends to be ageless. Comme il vous plaira. As you please.” Ann Wroe, Orpheus: The Song of Life (Painting : Edward John Poynter, Orpheus and Eurydice) In the upcoming weeks, I will be studying the myth of Orpheus [...]
“Faith is a torment, did you know that? It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call.” The Seventh Seal is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It is considered a classic of world cinema, as well as one of the greatest [...]
Our clothing is an unspoken language that tells stories of our selves. I am always interested in exploring artists environnement and work. I bought this book, What Artists Wear, thinking it could be a fun and new way of delving into the subject. "In What Artists Wear, style luminary Charlie Porter takes us on a journey [...]
« The piano as a medium for expression is a whole world by itself. No other instrument can fill or replace its own say in the world of emotion, sentiment, poetry, imagery and fancy » Leopold Godowsky was born in the village of Soshly near Vilna (then Russian Poland) on February 13, 1870, and died in New [...]
"The world doesn't like independent woman, why, I don't know, but I don't care." Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), born in Springfield, Ohio, American photographer, best known for her documentary images of New York City in the 1930s and 1940s. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Springfield, the young Abbott had a barber cut off the long, thick [...]
“To be immortal and then die” Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard has always considered himself as much a critic as a filmmaker -indeed, the two functions are inseparable for him- and in both areas he has made it his mission to shake up established formulas as radically as possible. "We have to fight the audience," he told [...]
“I've never done anything but dream. This, and this alone, has been the meaning of my life. My only real concern has been my inner life.” The Book of Disquiet is a work by the Portuguese author and poet Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935). Published posthumously, The Book of Disquiet is a fragmentary lifetime project, left unedited by the author, who [...]
“Greenish water on my face: I will drink from you until the night opens. No one can save me. I'm invisible even to myself.” A Musical Hell (Excerpt) 1. THE SHAPES OF A PREMONITION COLD IN HAND BLUES and what is it you're going to say i'm just going to say something and what's this [...]
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." Isaac Albeniz Iberia Iberia is a collection of twelve independent works for piano solo by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909). It was composed in London, paris, and Nice in the years 1905-1907. Iberia is considered not only its composer's masterpiece, but also the "corner-stone, the Koran, of the modern [...]
"Limitation makes the creative mind inventive." Walter gropius While I was doing the reaserch for Tuesday's post, about André Breton and Philippe Soupault's "Les Champs Magnétiques", I read that Soupault was married to an artist, now called Ré Soupault. I had never heard of her and she seemed to be quite interesting. Hence I decided [...]
"There is nothing more marvelous or madder than real life." E. T. A. Hoffmann Today I should be writing about James Joyce's Ulysse as it is the author's birthday but it is a book I have yet to read, I have it in my library, waiting for me to discover it's treasures. I told myself [...]
"The dream was marvellous but the terror was great; we must treasure the dream whatever the terror; for the dream has shown that misery comes at last to the healthy man, the end of his life is sorrow." The Epic of Gilgamesh Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter) is among the most famous orchestral works [...]
Le Nouveau Zèbre has gone social! For different ways to follow up with le Zèbre and never miss a post you can join the Zèbre Club on these platforms : Or subscribe by email :
"Death is close enough at hand so we do not need to be afraid of life." FREDERICH NIETZSCHE Death and life is an oil on canvas painting by Gustav Klimt. It is one of Klimt’s central works and is regarded as one of his greatest allegories, in which he used a bold composition to address [...]
“I am the man whose life and soul are torment” The Color of Pomegranates is a 1969 Soviet Armenian art film written and directed by Sergei Parajanov. The film is a breathtaking fusion of poetry, ethnography, and cinema that tells of the life of 18th-century Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat-Nova. Sergei Parajanov’s masterwork overflows with [...]
As my studio work brings me to study the works of Gustav Klimt, I decided to talk about one of his paintings Hope 1 (Hoffnung 1), an oil painting created in 1903. Currently located in the National Gallery of Canada, the main subject of this work is a pregnant, nude female. She is holding her hands together above her stomach [...]
I read this article in Literary Hub about the Coen brothers film, The Tragedy of Macbeth. The article starts like this: In the flawless, stainless neo-noir Blood Simple, the 1984 directorial debut of Joel and Ethan Coen and the acting debut of Joel’s soon-to-be wife Frances McDormand, a character clandestinely commits a murder in the back [...]
I have never read Michel Houellebecq. He recently published a new novel, Anéantir, and around here it seems like it is the only thing everyone is talking about in literary circles. I decided to get a copy and read it for myself. I am not sure it is the right novel to start reading Houllebecq's [...]
The Second Coming is a poem written by Irish poet W. B. Yeats in 1919, first printed in The Dial in November 1920, and afterwards included in his 1921 collection of verses Michael Robartes and the Dancer. The poem uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and Second Coming to allegorically describe the atmosphere of post-war Europe. It is considered a major work of modernist poetry and has been reprinted in several collections. The [...]
I made an Instagram post yesterday explaining the reasons and motivations behind Le nouveau Zèbre. If you have not seen it, you can read it here. Now I have been thinking and this is how I'll be organizing this magazine. On Mondays, I'll publish a post concerning classical music. What I'm listening to, an album [...]
I bought this beautiful book some time ago and it is definitely one of my favorites at the moment. The art project I am working on now brings me to paint 3 portraits "à la Klimt", so I have been doing research on his painting technique, but also on his way of living and approaching [...]
(Extraits de "Les petits chants") X celui qui m'aime éloigne mes doubles ouvre la nuit, mon corps, voir tes rêves mon soleil amour XI oh ces yeux que tu as ces yeux fulgurants XII corbeaux dans mon esprit au-dessus de son cher corps c'est le grand froid de la nuit le noir passion de nos [...]
J’ai fait imprimer quelques collages que j’ai réalisés au cours de la dernière année et je suis très heureuse du résultat! Le papier -et l’impression- est vraiment magnifique! J’ai ajouté ces impressions à ma boutique pour ceux qui seraient intéressés à en acheter. J’en ferai assurément imprimer d’autres éventuellement, mais en attendant, vous pouvez visiter [...]
Work progression of the skirt and some of the shawl. I have not been able lately to pack in all the hours I wished I would in the studio. Nevertheless, my work has progressed a little. I always estimate it will take me less time to paint and once I am in the process, I [...]
« Qui suis-je? Si par exception je m'en rapportais à un adage : en effet pourquoi tout ne reviendrait-il pas à savoir qui je « hante »? Je dois avouer que ce dernier mot m'égare, tendant à établir entre certains êtres et moi des rapports plus singuliers, moins évitables, plus troublants que je ne pensais. [...]
I purchased this beautiful book showcasing some of Cy Twombly’s work (paintings, photographs, sculptures...). Twombly moves me, in a poetic way. I am very sensible to the chaos he creates on his canvases, to the blurred settings of his photographs, not to mention that his subject of choice is very often the rose, and if [...]
I have started the paintings of Carnaval, my third movement. I have been working on the first painting which depicts a faceless woman in a dress from the baroque era. The clothing and fabric is a lot of work, since it is quite an elaborate drapé. Here are some pictures of the progression of the [...]
Ripples are the instant effect of wind on water and they die down as quickly as they form, as the surface tension of the water dampens their efforts. If a wind blows steadily across a large enough patch of water for a few hours then the ripples become waves and these will not be dampened [...]
I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both. (...) With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, [...]
“I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was - I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room I'd never seen, hearing the hiss of steam [...]
Because it all just breaks apart, and the pieces scatter andrearrange without much fanfare or notice. Because you can’t and don’t remember the step that kicked updust and left this planet—you’d give up even more now. Because the body itself—the heart’s not dead but deeper, wrapped up in curtains, a different color,among the railings and [...]
We at the height are ready to decline.There is a tide in the affairs of menWhich, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs bound in shallows and in miseries.On such a full sea are we now afloat,And we must take the current when it serves,Or lose our ventures.William [...]
Behind this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr Creedy... and ideas are bulletproof.- Alan Moore, V for Vendetta Clara Schumann Letter to Doppler July 14, 1838, p. 2 Misc. Ms. 372, Miscellaneous Letters and Documents File Gilmore Music Library, Yale University.
Élévation Au-dessus des étangs, au-dessus des vallées,Des montagnes, des bois, des nuages, des mers,Par delà le soleil, par delà les éthers,Par delà les confins des sphères étoilées, Mon esprit, tu te meus avec agilité,Et, comme un bon nageur qui se pâme dans l'onde,Tu sillonnes gaiement l'immensité profondeAvec une indicible et mâle volupté. Envole-toi bien loin [...]
On vient de mourir mais je suis vivant et cependant je n’ai plus d’âme. Je n’ai plus qu’un corps transparent à l’intérieur duquel des colombes transparentes se jettent sur un poignard transparent tenu par une main transparente. Je vois l’effort dans toute sa beauté, l’effort réel qui ne se chiffre par rien, peu avant la [...]
With fire she shines all round, but in the midst More blue than black appears a maiden’s face And moisten’d cheeks, that blush to meet the gaze. - Plutarch, On the face which appears on the Orb of the Moon
“If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince "Si tu aimes une fleur qui se trouve dans une étoile, c'est doux, la nuit, de regarder le ciel. Toutes les étoiles sont fleuries..."― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le petit prince
I received my copy of Pan Magazine. Such a beautiful object! My work brings me now to study the notions of identity, doubles, masks and masquerades and so I find in there a lot of inspiration! This issue’s theme is in the realm of ghosts, but what are ghosts if not souls who lost their [...]