RAKU CHA RYU

Leaf harmonium As I enter a new country, I am always surprised by the fauna and flora. There is the luxurious Thai vegetation that floods any cracks of Bangkok’s walls, a sombre and wet green comfortably sleeping in its unshakable power. And then there is the Scottish green, fractured like a thunder,   with dark woods and tortuous leaves gleaming like a gray rock. I knew of the central part of Japan and its soft mountains, shaped like a silk robe and dressed in velvety foliages. Coming to Korea, the color variations became immediately chaotic. Not anymore could I see the delicate landscapes, gently painted in a typhoon diluted ink, but I was facing and immense fresco of pastels drawn with a dry and swift brush. Two close countries had such difference in their beauty. With these few remarks in mind, I could also notice that the construction woods of Korea were much clearer than the Japanese ones but far less perfumed. How can I believe, then, that two poets ca...

Spain : a mute expression Madrid, 1736. One has to picture the Puritan Spain, faithful to the pope but dreaming of conquests, that forbids nude paintings but owns more of these than any other kingdom — in private rooms of course. In fact, a wind of change is blowing. But it cannot be explicit. Artists see themselves as ‘creators’ more than simple performers, but they cannot express so openly their very desire of self-expression. So their speech take circuitous roads. And Velasquez, with its witty and refined gave us many examples of this indirect voice. Hence, this painting of his old friend and sculptor Juan Martínez Montañés, that he had no time to finish. And the buste of the king is left as a simple outline. Un-finite sketch Now, let’s imagine something a little foolish : what if that painting was willingly left unfinished ?   The outline of the buste is not just an unfinished sculpture, it is also an unfinished painting. So, it does not o...