In October 2006 I had a review of the exhibition Humour et Critique dans l’art d’aujourd’hui published in Art and Christianity. The review initiated correspondence with the exhibition organiser, Rémy Le Guillerm, himself an artist with work represented in the exhibition I reviewed. In the course of this correspondence we exchanged thoughts on the place of religion in contemporary art and images and writings of our artwork. This series of posts documents our correspondence.
Rémy wrote: "All my good wishes for 2007 and good reading.
Amongst other questions that contemporary art can pose of religion is that of truth. Is Man born from chance and need or the creation of a mysterious divine will? For my part and to locate me, I lean towards chance and need but I do not exclude a will in the form of an energy which would be beyond that of a conscience and comparable with that of the spirit and human intelligence (even if a share of this force lives in it). The mystery, of course, hangs on this question, ‘is this what God is?’ and finally what is interesting for the artist (who is posed questions by nature and its works) is to observe the demonstrations of the spirit of mankind and society and to translate these questions so as to wake up the senses, to maintain alive and constructively a critical spirit and curiosity.
To fall into idolatry, in opposition to the progress of religious dogmas or policies is dramatic. As you know, we can observe how, for example, poor interpretation of a rigid Islam leads to disaster, in stupidity, with murder, with oppression and how it, fascism and communism crushed people. Before that the Inquisition tried to congeal and destroy freedom to imagine and to think of a multitude of curious spirits fleeing conventions. But the courage and imagination of some continues since the Enlightenment happened and still constitutes the foundation of our modern era, which, has arrived in a turn of materialism and individualism leading to a frightening paroxysm of financial interests and powers. We agree therefore that it is necessary to jostle dogmas where they have solidified becoming irritational or retrograde. The great religions are positive in that they made it possible to leave cruelty and that was overall good, so why not believe quite simple in mankind and in the good that is already recognised in the morality of various religions. While going in this direction, if god exists, he will be acknowledged because, ‘the sky will help you!’
I agree with you that all the works in the 'Humour and Criticism' exhibition did not claim to attack conventions in 'unique thoughts' or 'political correctness' and did not all try to give lessons or solutions. It is one of the functions of artist to ‘disturb’, it is this that humourists do with words and drawings and it is useful. Short of this is a vast debate which I do not control at all. Of course, many people on the planet also question your position. I am admitting to you a personal interest in writing on this subject but finally there are all the same risks to be become wrongly understood and poorly accepted, as much in art as in journalism and art criticism.
The image attached (Annonciation) is my most recent image, it was conceived to be the greeting card of the city of Allonnes, as requested of me each year by the Mayor. From now on I will be moving on from the organising of exhibitions to devote more time to sculpture and the design of images for myself and for art galleries, if I can find courageous ones. I have many ideas inside including religious and socio-political subjects.
I shall make a small personal analysis here of my image (although I do not doubt that you can do it yourself) but this gives me the occasion to try to formalise my thoughts into words. Finally each viewer will put their own personal interpretation on it, as for any work of art.
1. The tree is a symbol of life, exchange (bond and place) between the spiritual forces (sky) and telluric forces (today the majority of the plane trees in France are diseased, so one can see there a wink at ecology).
2. The sky is gilded and a little ruffled like wrapping paper for a gift. In the tree are several kinds of leaves representing the diversity of races and species.
3. The levitating woman is a mother, dispenser of life, who is divinized like the Virgin Mary on a flower-seat decorated with small bells (like a jester’s cap because history is insane). Children are in nests under her generous bosom as in life, home, (as long as goodwill, work, money and love allow, if not caught up in misfortune and misery!)
4. The church, architectural monument and its monumental door symbolise institutions in general, nuns or laymen. On the door ‘Jeff of Bruges’ (large chocolate mark) is engraved to mark that inside are good things to attract our interest. In the round window (the eye of an ox) an individual, a preacher or Muezzin, blesses the neighbourhood and exhorts people to enter. The red lantern is a little iconoclastic (a face appears inside, perhaps a devil) but red was necessary here to the plastic composition.
5. With his tricolour sash, Yvon Luby ‘true' mayor of Allonnes and the secretary of Armelle ‘the wrong’ Town Hall (agent of maintenance in our workshop) ready to receive complaints and to join those who will want for both the best and for the worst.
6. The crowd of demonstrators beat the advancing drum. Smiling people assert and hope that their democratically elected leaders will hold to promises that have often been deferred. In the large print photograph of this picture – the sentence on the streamer 'Allonnais hopes’ will be transformed into ‘the men still hope’. On the back of the Pax flag = Peace. At the bottom is a statue of freedom and doves etc.
The general title of this image is ‘Annunciation’."
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Blind Boys From Alabama - Amazing Grace.
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