EloisE and abelard
symbols of a passionate and complex love.
This drawing, presented between two Plexiglas plates, held by wooden uprights, offers an open window on their world.
It is intended to be a visual representation of the story of Héloïse and Abelard, a couple who marked the history of literature and philosophical thought.Their relationship was complex and passionate, marked by moments of intense happiness, deep intellectual and spiritual exchanges, as well as suffering and violence.
Héloïse is depicted naked and lascivious, symbolizing her surrender to the love she feels for Abelard. Abelard, on the other hand, is represented naked, floating in the air, his arms outstretched, symbolizing his freedom, his unbridled passion as well as his search for spirituality and transcendence.
The choice to represent Héloïse and Abélard in this way expresses their total abandonment to their devouring passion and their desire.
Abelard's drawing is finer and more precise, symbolizing clarity of thought and spiritual transcendence. As the gaze moves, the viewer stops on Héloïse hiding Abelard's sex with her head, a subtle reference to the castration suffered by him and a reminder of the complexity of their relationship. The bottom of this work, more graphically chaotic, expresses the tumults of their passion and the efforts they made to extract themselves from the reality that surrounds them.
The artistically interpreted excerpts of their correspondence that cover the back reinforce the idea of a passionate and forbidden relationship, testifying to the power of their mutual attachment.
Ultimately, this work is meant to be a moving and powerful depiction of the complexity and intensity of their relationship, providing a window into their world and history.