Réflexions sur Paulina 1880

Year: 2023 
Author/artist: François Righi (*1946) 
Publisher: François Righi

In the first blank cahier, the artist jotted down 61 quotations from Paulina 1880, taken from five of the six chapters. These excerpts were not selected to summarise the story: they are the sections he had underlined or marked during his first reading and reflect Righi’s personal interpretation of the text. Together, they highlight the novel’s central tension: the conflict between erotic and spiritual desire. It is noteworthy that the artist copied these quotations with his non-dominant left hand. The resulting irregular letters and lines give the writing a distinctly expressive character, which contrasts sharply with the controlled, almost typographical handwriting of his right hand. He used the latter exclusively for elements that fall outside the literary content of the novel, such as the colophon.

In between the text, Righi painted black rectangles, geometric shapes and, here and there, a few white letters. Their meaning is not explicitly defined and is deliberately left open to interpretation. The cover was also painted entirely black, except for a cut-out around the word ‘Réflexions’, leaving the original title only partially visible.

(Counter)clockwise

The third and final part of the triptych consists of 54 black, circular miniatures. Surrounded by repeated letters, they collectively form the title of the novel’s opening chapter: ‘Chambre bleue’ (‘Blue room’). At the front of the cahier, the letters are arranged like markers on a clock face and run clockwise. On one of the final pages, however, they appear mirrored and running counterclockwise, without a black circle in their middle, as if time were being turned back. The closing miniature, executed in colour, evokes associations with the famous oculus painted by Andrea Mantegna in the Camera degli Sposi of the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua. This reference can be read as a subtle allusion to Paulina’s years at the convent there. The peacock depicted also alludes to a medieval motif of power that has long occupied an important place within Righi’s oeuvre.

Réflexions sur Paulina 1880 is presented in a specially made cassette and dedicated to Laurence Rivale, who introduced Righi to the work of Jouve. The result is an extremely personal and visual interpretation of a reading experience. Righi produced just one unique copy from the two handwritten parts.

Bibliographical description

Description: Réflexions sur Paulina 1880 / François Righi - Ivoy-le-Pré : François Righi, 2023. - 3 volumes, chacun de 60 pages ; 17 × 9 cm.
Printer: -
Edition: Unique copy
This copy: Unique copy, composed of three volumes in a cassette. Volume 1: 61 handwritten and illustrated citations by François Righi from Paulina 1880 (1925) by Pierre Jean Jouve. Volume 2: Paul de Molènes, Réflexions sur l’imitation de N.S.J.C.. Paris : Maximilien Vox, 1945. With painted spine by François Righi. Volume 3: 54 painted miniatures by François Righi. 
Note: Signed by the artist
Shelfmark: - 

References

• Paul van Capelleveen, ‘Les livres sont muets, François Righi’, in Artists & others. The imaginative French book in the 21st century. Koopman Collection, National Library of the Netherlands. Nijmegen, Vantilt Publishers, 2016, pp. 186–191.
• François Righi's website 
• Nicolas Pesquès, Recensions pour François Righi. Saint-Resitut, Centre d’Art Contemporain, 2020.