Seven Writings

Alechinsky Pierre / Dotremont Christian

The artists

Pierre Alechinsky (Brussels, 1927).
The painter
Pierre Alechinsky is world-famous and has lived in France since 1951. He made numerous trips to the Far East, where he discovered his passion for calligraphy. He was also a founder and member of the Cobra group. This movement was founded in 1948 and brings together artists who advocate a return to a more challenging, aggressive, and bold art.

Christian Dotremont (Tervuren, 1922 – Buizingen, 1979).
The poet
His encounter with Magritte in 1940 is decisive. After founding the Cobra group with Jorn and Appel, he also established the group “Surréalisme révolutionnaire” in 1948. He creates “word drawings” and “word paintings,” the so-called “scriptures,” which incorporate his poetry into the paintings of other artists. His starting point is the integration of language into the image.

This work is the result of the collaboration between both artists. Pierre Alechinsky painted seven panels in his studio, each divided into three sections of different dimensions, two for the image (in which the artist developed a connection between references to plants and animals) and a third for the poetic contribution of Christian Dotremont. The latter artist speaks of “logograms.” These are letters and words transposed into a free and adventurous graphic style, thanks to a spontaneous mobility of the hand. This calligraphy is no longer readable. It exudes a special power, like a graceful dance and a rhythmic movement in space. The chosen themes are the wheel and shelter. Due to the rhythm of Dotremont's scripture, this creation forms a harmonious whole.

“The female figure with closed eyes makes circles time and again, straightens up, lets out a cry, flies away, and that seven times like the story of a week.”

Ink on paper printed on wood and synthetic resin.

Davy De Vleeschouwer