The worst thing/ Le pire/ Cel mai rau lucru…

 

In a letter addressed to his mother and sister Wil (April 1890) Vincent Van Gogh wrote:

…”When I found out that my paintings had some praising and I read the article in question*, I was immediately afraid that this will depress me. It’s almost always like that, in the life of the painter; SUCCES IS THE WORST THING that can happen to him…”

( * the “article” is the famous G.-Albert Aurier article in “Mercure de France” (January 1890)

Was Vincent supersticious? Why was “succes” scarying him so much? And why is “succes the worst thing” for an artist?

I just ask the questions for now… And there is maybe another one, quite weird, an hypothesis which is not totally absurde: in the motives (because one thing is for sure, Vincent did not commit suicide just for ONE reason…) of his suicide, isn’t it this fear of succes ANOTHER one?

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Dans une lettre qu’il écrit a sa mère et soeur Wil, en avril 1890, Vincent Van Gogh dit:

…” Quand j’ai appris que mes oeuvres avait eu un peu de succès et que j’ai lu l’article en question, j’ai craint immédiatement que céla me décourage. Il en va presque toujours ainsi, dans la vie du peintre; le succès est ce qu’il y a de pire…”

Était Vincent superstitieux? Pourquoi le “succès” lui faisait tant peur? Et pourquoi est-t-il le succès “la pire de choses” qui peuvent arriver a l’artiste?

Pour le moment, je ne fait que poser les quéstions. Mais il y a une, encore plus troublante, qui fait place à une hypothese peut-être pas aussi absurde que ça: dans les motifs (parce qu’ily a eu plusieurs, ça c’est sur) qui ont poussé Vincent au suicide, la peur de succèes n’est-t-elle aussi de mise?

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Într-o scrisoare din aprilie 1890, adresa mamei si surorii sale Wil, vincent Van gogh scria:

…”Când am aflat ca lucrarile mele au avut un pic de succes si am citit articolul în chestiune, m-am temut imediat ca asta ma va descuraja. Asa se întâmpla aproape întotdeauna, în viatza pictorului; succesul e lucrurl cel mai rau care i se poate întâmpla…”

Era vincent superstitzios? De ce succesul îl înspaimânta ? Si este oare succesul “cel mai rau” lucru care i se poate întâmpla unui artist?

Deocamdata nu fac decât sa pun întrebarile. De fapt, mai este înca una, tulburatoare, care face loc unei ipoteze care nu e asa de absurda cum poate parea; între motivele (fiindca în mod sigur, n-a fost doar unul singur…) care l-au împins pe Vincent la sinucidere, nu se afla oare si frica de succes?

A scarecrow…un épouvantail… o sperietoare de ciori…

When I saw “The Scarecrow”, Jerry Schatzberg‘s movie, with Al Pacino and Gene Hackman, I was 17-18 years old… I had no idea the film got a Palme d’or à Cannes in 1973… But I’ve felt this was a great movie, a movie which could taught me something, something misterious, something important, about life… More than 30 years latter I was adopting the scarecrow ideogram as my signature... I felt it was an appropiate signature for myself, an old geezer, ravaged by diabetes and depression, looking a lot older than he really is but not without some humour… Of course, it’s a lot more complicated than this, but that’s the essence of it…and the main motivation.

That’s why, since 2006, most of my paintings and drawings are signed also or exclusively with this sign (see above)

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J’avais 17-18 ans quand j’ai vu “L’Épouvantail” , le film de Jerry Schatzberg, avec Al Pacino et Gene Hackman. Le fait que le film avait obtenu La Palme d’or 1973 au Festival de Cannes ne m’était pas connu mais j’ai senti que ce film-là avait quelque chose d’important, mysterieux, à m’apprendre sur la vie… 33 ans après je faisait du signe de l’épouvantail ma signature. D’un façon mystérieuse, je sentais que c’était là le symbol appropié pour moi, petit vieux, dévasté par le diabète et la depression, à l’aspect 10 ans plus vieux que l’age réel, mais qui ne manque pas un peu d’humour… Bien sur, c’est plus compliqué que ça, mais c’est cette réference filmique et cette motivation fondamentale qui a fait que, partant de l’année 2006 le signe de l’épouvantail apparaissait sur la plupart des mes oeuvres (voir plus haut).

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Aveam 17-18 ani când am vazut filmul lui Jerry Schatzberg, “Sperietoarea”, cu Al Pacino si Gene Hackman. Desi habar n’aveam ca luase Palme d’or în 1973 la Cannes, am simtzit ca filmul acesta avea sa ma învetze ceva important, desi misterios si difuz, despre viatza…

33 de ani mai târziu, aflat în situatzia unui batrânel usor caraghios (silly looking, din cauza ravagiilor diabetului si depresiunii nervoase, mi-am ales simbolul Sperietorii (creatzie proprie, binentzeles) ca “semnatura” a mea, pe cele mai multe din lucrarile mele de dupa 2006. Sigur, e mai complicat…dar aceasta este geneza si motivatzia esentiala a acestui simbol (pe care-l putetzi vedea reprodus ceva mai sus).

Link to the Schatzberg movie: http://tinyurl.com/2kn9bx ( this is in French) and

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070643/ (English)