L'esprit d'escalier

H ow should the monument look like a poet, who rejected the age of eighteen years, the poetry and turned its back? For a poet of the Stefan Zweig said: "His breathing was so hot that the wax was melting in his hands, rather than adapt to the shape. The literature, the arts were too weak to allow the unspeakable to say completely. And he threw it away, with eighteen years "-" Poetry was to him nothing.. Just any rescue attempt, an outlet for the urgent-excess Vitaltät, only one attempt among others, and the first attempt " ^one So how should one Monument look for Arthur Rimbaud, who burned all his manuscripts in his possession seal on a pyre, whose poetry has been known only by the posthumous initiative of former friends of a large audience? Certainly a man standing on a pedestal with a rolled parchment paper or a pen in hand and with his face modeled demonstrative foresight the restless and driven Rimbaud would not do justice at all. An answer to the question of how then could look like such a monument, is found in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, the Quartier de l'Arsenal ² in the Place du Pere Teilhard de Chardin, diagonally opposite the Pavillon de l'Arsenal. The local plastic is the result of the struggle of the French sculptor Jean Ipoustéguy ³ with the person and work of Arthur Rimbaud. After the city of Paris Ipoustéguy with the creation of a monument to Rimbaud had commissioned, designed the end of 1983, first a small sculpture with the working title "Maquette Rimbaud" ^four out of plaster and cardboard ⁵ , from the same year, the small bronze titled " Esquisse Rimbaud " ⁶ came out. Also in late 1983 made Ipoustéguy Portätstudie one titled "Etude visage Rimbaud" ⁷ at. From this preliminary work at the beginning of 1984 have involved the large-scale sculpture, which was eventually cast in 1985 at Blanchet in Paris. The bronze statue is 2.2m high, 4.6m long and 1.8m wide, ⁸ and is titled: "L'homme aux Semelles devant," which is translated as: "The man with the feet forward" or "The Man ahead with the soles. " It is intended to be dubbed a play on the name with which his lover Verlaine have, namely: "L'homme aux Semelles de vent" ⁹ , which is translated as: "The man with soles of wind" or " The man with soles of wind "or" The man with the winged feet of wind. " Apparently, individuals seem to have the nature of a tribute not recognized when they are the title of the sculpture to be incorrect. Such contemporary feel then compelled to inform the world through a white correction pen the supposedly correct version ¹⁰ . Obviously, keep these people it is actually possible that the creator of the sculpture, which indeed will be seen as yet, have dealt extensively with the subject matter must be credited in the title of his work an understanding of error and a resulting set error compromised, then is well tolerated for decades by officials in Paris. Not in the sense of the proofreaders were well aware that this is a deliberate modification is a further development and exaggeration, a play on words - just a tribute. At the sight of the sculpture is the first division of Rimbaud Body in the eye. This disturbing presentation succeeded Ipoustéguy a striking symbolism of Rimbaud's inner conflict, his impetuous nature, his restlessness and his being driven. And what is more natural to use as a symbol to honor one of the founders of the literary symbolism? Considering also the etymology of the word symbol, the use of this stylistic device seems even more appropriate. The Greek root word symbolon (σύμβολον) to mean "feature, characteristic, landmark" is a form of symballein (συμβάλλειν), meaning "to throw together, create, add," means. Symbolon was originally agreed between different personal identification number. This was broken by rings, broken glass and the like. With the precise fit of the individual to their owners Anfügestücke recognized again. The fragments thus embodied the unity. Clearly symbolize the broken halves of the fact that friends in ancient Greece before they separated for a long time, their names carved into a piece of broken and then it broke. Each wore a half with him then. A symbol is thus an indication of character, and points beyond itself. The two pieces are on the one hand, of course, only fragments have, however, their materiality and their superficial appearance, but also "symbolically" in friendship and also points to the separation and longing. Thus it can be put on the spot by means of the symbol in a simple and abstract way, a complex condition that otherwise would require a longer text, or an explicit representation, because if he ever so easily could realistically represented. Such may be referred to an inaccessible, hidden and underlying reality. Seen Ipoustéguy has a fracture through the body of Rimbaud Symbol created in the present in the original sense of the legs to the torso Anfügestück. Attached to the upper and lower body together again, it Rimbaud had outside in his state. But the failure of the body demonstrates here his internal state and the resulting lifestyle, without the symbolism so would not be represented in a static visual form. Ipoustéguy created so that both in the original sense, a Symbolon and in today's importance of a symbol. more>

1. Arthur Rimbaud. Life and poetry. Transferred from KL Ammer. Introduced by Stefan Zweig. Leipzig, 1921, pp. 18 and 8 [ ← ]
2. This district was located, as the name hints at, originally the royal arms and ammunition. [ ← ]
3. * 1920 † 2006 [ ← ]
4. Rimbaud model [ ← ]
5. 30cm high and 50cm wide [ ← ]
6. Design Rimbaud, 29.5 cm high, 49cm long and 29cm wide [ ← ]
7. Study, "Rimbaud's face" [ ← ]
8. Lipp, Michael Jean Ipoustéguy - The plastic work 1940-1992, S.537. [ ← ]
9. "Commenting on sait, Rimbaud surnommé a été" l'homme aux Semelles de vent "." Arthur Rimbaud - complètes oeuvres / correspondance. Paris, 2004, S.CXXXII. [ ← ]
10. Figure [ ← ]