LOUIS MARCOUSSIS French, b. 1936
The Balcony (Drawing for Plate I, Planches de Salut), 1930
Signed and Dated Drawing in Pencil on Paper laid on Wove Paper
18 x 23.2 cm. / 7.1 x 9.2 in.
This drawing is signed “Marcoussis” in the lower left corner.
It is Hand dated next to the signature “1930”.
It is a preparatory drawing for plate I of Planches de Salut, a book of 13 etchings published by Jeanne Bucher and printed by Lacourière, Paris, 1931.
It is inspired by Charles Baudelaire's poem "The Balcony", from his famous collections of poems, Fleurs du Mal.
Line 16 from this poem "The night was growing dense like an encircling wall", appears in the pge preceeding the etching in the portfolio.
The Balcony, by Charles Baudelaire
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses,
O you, all my pleasure, O you, all my duty!
You'll remember the sweetness of our caresses,
The peace of the fireside, the charm of the evenings.
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses!
The evenings lighted by the glow of the coals,
The evenings on the balcony, veiled with rose mist;
How soft your breast was to me! how kind was your heart!
We often said imperishable things,
The evenings lighted by the glow of the coals.
How splendid the sunsets are on warm evenings!
How deep space is! how potent is the heart!
In bending over you, queen of adored women,
I thought I breathed the perfume in your blood.
How splendid the sunsets are on warm evenings!
The night was growing dense like an encircling wall,
My eyes in the darkness felt the fire of your gaze
And I drank in your breath, O sweetness, O poison!
And your feet nestled soft in my brotherly hands.
The night was growing dense like an encircling wall.
I know the art of evoking happy moments,
And live again our past, my head laid on your knees,
For what's the good of seeking your languid beauty
Elsewhere than in your dear body and gentle heart?
I know the art of evoking happy moments.
Those vows, those perfumes, those infinite kisses,
Will they be reborn from a gulf we may not sound,
As rejuvenated suns rise in the heavens
After being bathed in the depths of deep seas?
— O vows! O perfumes! O infinite kisses!
Translated by: William Aggeler, The Flowers of Evil (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1954)
Note: Marcoussis took up printmaking again at the beginning of the 1930s.
In Planches de Salut, with an introduction by Tristan Tzara, Marcoussis pays homage to his favorite writers, such as Baudelaire, Dostoevski, Rimbaud, Shakespeare, and Gerard de Nerval.
The term 'planche de salut' is slang for 'long plank to salvation'.
Literature: Milet, Solange. Louis Marcoussis: Catalogue raisonne de l'oeuvre grave. Copenhague: Forlaget Cordelia, 1991
Reference: Milet 67
Condition: Very good condition. Some minor foxing mainly in the margins.
It is Hand dated next to the signature “1930”.
It is a preparatory drawing for plate I of Planches de Salut, a book of 13 etchings published by Jeanne Bucher and printed by Lacourière, Paris, 1931.
It is inspired by Charles Baudelaire's poem "The Balcony", from his famous collections of poems, Fleurs du Mal.
Line 16 from this poem "The night was growing dense like an encircling wall", appears in the pge preceeding the etching in the portfolio.
The Balcony, by Charles Baudelaire
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses,
O you, all my pleasure, O you, all my duty!
You'll remember the sweetness of our caresses,
The peace of the fireside, the charm of the evenings.
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses!
The evenings lighted by the glow of the coals,
The evenings on the balcony, veiled with rose mist;
How soft your breast was to me! how kind was your heart!
We often said imperishable things,
The evenings lighted by the glow of the coals.
How splendid the sunsets are on warm evenings!
How deep space is! how potent is the heart!
In bending over you, queen of adored women,
I thought I breathed the perfume in your blood.
How splendid the sunsets are on warm evenings!
The night was growing dense like an encircling wall,
My eyes in the darkness felt the fire of your gaze
And I drank in your breath, O sweetness, O poison!
And your feet nestled soft in my brotherly hands.
The night was growing dense like an encircling wall.
I know the art of evoking happy moments,
And live again our past, my head laid on your knees,
For what's the good of seeking your languid beauty
Elsewhere than in your dear body and gentle heart?
I know the art of evoking happy moments.
Those vows, those perfumes, those infinite kisses,
Will they be reborn from a gulf we may not sound,
As rejuvenated suns rise in the heavens
After being bathed in the depths of deep seas?
— O vows! O perfumes! O infinite kisses!
Translated by: William Aggeler, The Flowers of Evil (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1954)
Note: Marcoussis took up printmaking again at the beginning of the 1930s.
In Planches de Salut, with an introduction by Tristan Tzara, Marcoussis pays homage to his favorite writers, such as Baudelaire, Dostoevski, Rimbaud, Shakespeare, and Gerard de Nerval.
The term 'planche de salut' is slang for 'long plank to salvation'.
Literature: Milet, Solange. Louis Marcoussis: Catalogue raisonne de l'oeuvre grave. Copenhague: Forlaget Cordelia, 1991
Reference: Milet 67
Condition: Very good condition. Some minor foxing mainly in the margins.
$ 16,000.00
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