L'esprit d'escalier

H ow should the monument look like a poet, who rejected at the age of eighteen years, the poetry and her back was turned? 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 tell all. And so he threw it away, with eighteen years "-" Poetry was to him nothing.. Just another rescue attempt, a valve for the crowding-excess Vitaltät, only one attempt among others, and the first attempt at " ¹ 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 great public? Certainly a man standing on a base with rolled-up 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, how could such now look like a monument, is found in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, the Quartier de l'Arsenal ² on the Place du Pere Teilhard de Chardin, diagonally opposite the Pavillon de l'Arsenal. The local plastic is the result of the examination by 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" ⁴ out of plaster and cardboard ⁵ , from the same year, the small bronze titled " Esquisse Rimbaud " ⁶ emerged. 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 Paris in 1985 at Blanchet. The bronze sculpture is 2.2 meters high, 4.6 m long and 1.8 m wide, ⁸ and is titled: "L'homme aux Semelles devant," which is translated as: "The man with the soles of progress" or "The Man forward 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 winged feet by the wind. " Apparently, individuals seem to have the nature of a tribute not recognized when they are the title of the sculpture to be defective. Such contemporaries feel compelled then to inform the world through a white correction pen the supposedly correct version ¹⁰ . Obviously, keep these people, it actually possible that the creator of the sculpture, which indeed will be seen as yet, have looked closely at the issue must be credited in the title of his work an understanding of error and a resulting typographical errors does that then is well tolerated for decades, 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. With this representation irritating 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 symbols in honor of 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 various persons identification. Here it was broken rings, broken glass and the like. By the fit of each Anfügestücke to recognize their owners again. The fragments thus embodied the unity. Clearly symbolizes the broken halves of the fact that friends in ancient Greece for a long time before they parted, their names scratched 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 the pieces have only one course, but their materiality or their ostensible appearance but also "symbolically" on friendship and also points to separation and longing. Thus it can be brought to the point means of the symbol in the easiest and abstract way, a complex condition, which 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 deeper reality. Seen Ipoustéguy has a fracture through the body of Rimbaud Symbol created in the present in the original sense of the Anfügestück the legs to the upper body. Attached to the upper and lower body together again, one would Rimbaud in his outer condition. But the breaking of the body shows here its internal state and the resulting lifestyle, without the symbolism would indeed not be displayed in a static image form. Ipoustéguy has thus created both in the original sense, a Symbolon as well as in the present meaning a symbol. more>

1. Arthur Rimbaud. Life and poetry. Transferred from KL Ammer. Introduced by Stefan Zweig. Leipzig, 1921, p. 18 and 8 [ ← ]
2. This district was located, as a foreshadowing of the name, 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 "face Rimbaud" [ ← ]
8. Lipp, Michael Jean Ipoustéguy - The Plastic Factory 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, p. CXXXII. [ ← ]
10. Figure [ ← ]