Philippe Sollers on Manet, Picasso, and the Coup de Nuit in His Novel L'Éclaircie
In a conversation with art press, French author Philippe Sollers reflects on his 2012 book L'Éclaircie, which revolves around a photograph of the narrator as a toddler beneath a cedar tree, representing an 'éclaircie' (clearing). The unexpected passing of his sister Anne evokes vertical memory, while a mysterious woman named Lucie, whom he meets at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, serves as a double for Anne. Sollers critiques modernism in the works of Édouard Manet and Pablo Picasso, asserting they revitalized essential art. He points out Manet's complex relationship with Berthe Morisot and Picasso's ties to his sisters. Additionally, Sollers comments on contemporary French nationalism, suggesting the 'éclaircie' symbolizes resistance, revealing deeper truths about desire and mortality through their art.
Key facts
- Philippe Sollers published the novel L'Éclaircie in 2012.
- The novel begins with a photograph of the narrator at age two under a cedar tree.
- The narrator's sister Anne dies, triggering vertical memory.
- Lucie, a woman met at the arrival of Casanova's manuscript at the BnF, becomes a double for Anne.
- Sollers introduces the concept of 'coup de nuit' as opposed to 'coup de foudre'.
- Sollers argues Manet and Picasso were not modernists but revived classical art.
- Manet's work is described as containing an incestuous charge with Berthe Morisot.
- Picasso's relationship with his sisters Lola and Conchita influenced his art.
- Sollers critiques contemporary French society for loss of self-awareness.
- The novel includes a social critique of nationalism and populism.
Entities
Artists
- Philippe Sollers
- Édouard Manet
- Pablo Picasso
- Berthe Morisot
- Victorine Meurent
- Méry Laurent
- Eva Gouel
- Marie-Thérèse Walter
- Dora Maar
- Françoise Gilot
- Jacqueline Roque
- Lola Picasso
- Conchita Picasso
- Georges Braque
- Henri Matisse
- Paul Cézanne
- Claude Monet
- Vincent van Gogh
- Antonin Artaud
- Georges Bataille
- Marcel Duchamp
- Isidore Ducasse
- Arthur Rimbaud
- Lautréamont
- Watteau
- Fragonard
- Titien
- Vélasquez
- Goya
- Casanova
- Michel Houellebecq
- Louis Aragon
- Elsa Triolet
- Radek
- Mallarmé
- Heidegger
- Debord
Institutions
- Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Galerie Leiris
- Musée d'Orsay
- Ballets russes
- Galeries Lafayette
- Université de Shanghai
- art press
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Bordeaux
- Barcelone
- Espagne
- Afrique
- Allemagne
- Hollande
- États-Unis
- Angleterre
Sources
- artpress —