Lautréamont’s Children (2012). Digital collage created & copyright © by Eric Edelman. All rights reserved.
(All artwork, descriptions, & other text (except for quotations) created & copyright © by Eric Edelman. All rights reserved.)
The poet Isidore-Lucien Ducasse, better known under his pseudonym of the “Comte de Lautréamont,” was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1846, and died in Paris in 1870, during the siege of the city in the Franco-Prussian war. Heavily influenced by Poe, Baudelaire, and Romantic poets like Shelly and Byron, Ducasse/Lautréamont produced only two collections of poetry, Les chants de Maldoror and Poesies. Maldoror in particular would fascinate the Surrealists, who rediscovered his work during the First World War.
To the Surrealists, the prose poetry of Lautréamont, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud stood as a pioneering effort in the struggle to juxtapose unrelated imagery and scenes, which was a central project for both Surrealism and collage. In particular, one line by Lautréamont inspired Surrealist painters and poets:
“…beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissecting-table of a sewing-machine and an umbrella.”
This verbal image-collage and its reference to chance are typical of the dislocated imagery in Maldoror; the visual work of Magritte, Max Ernst, and other Surrealists seems to reflect this aesthetic of image juxtaposition and dislocation.
Comte de Lautréamont (Isidore-Lucien Ducasse, 1846-1870) Photographer unknown.
(For more information about the Comte de Lautréamont, please click on his photograph, above, or visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comte_de_Lautréamont )
All artwork, descriptions, & other text (except for quotations) created & copyright © by Eric Edelman. All rights reserved.
He definitely succeed in putting together unrelated images
Thanks for your visit and your comment, Marina!
He has a pan on his head. Interesting!
Yes, he does…and a somewhat interesting face on his head as well. Thanks for your visit and your comment, Alissa!
I always look forward to seeing these pieces on WW from you
Love the different concoctions that bring it to life!
Thanks, Brandi! And I appreciate your comments on and interest in them. Have a great WW!
I enjoyed reading that bit of history – definitely not up to snuff on my poets. Happy Wednesday!
Thanks very much! Lautréamont is definitely an interesting poet (a little strong for the tastes of some, but interesting nonetheless). Thanks for visiting and for your comment. Happy WW!
Amazing artwork! Very interesting and informative. Thanks for hosting!
Thanks very much for your visit and your kind words, Judy; I hope you had a great WW!
This poet is new to me. I like your interpretation of his poem, always enjoy your artwork. Have a great WW!
Thanks for your visit and your kind comment, Carol! I had a great WW and I hope you did as well.
A sewing machine and an umbrella, huh? I’ll have to try that combo at my house
It is different, isn’t it? This quote inspired a whole generation of Surrealist artists, and continues to resonate with their heirs today. (However, I have my doubts about how well such a combination would work in a practical sense…
) Thanks for your visit and your comment, Jessica!
While this particular collage certainly wasn’t my own personal favorite, the information on the Comte de Lautréamont was honestly very interesting. In any case, there’s always something of highly-significant value upon your own site of Retro Collage… and, that’s [ precisely ] why I come here. Keep up the good work, Eric!
Thank you very much for your comment, Jeshurun! I appreciate your point of view, and I’m honored to hear that you find Art of RetroCollage to be thought-provoking.