Atlan Polieri, Topologies

While all of Klee’s work can be seen through the lens of the theater (see hereabove), in the case of Jean-Michel Atlan, theater was rather used to bring down the curtain. One year before his premature death (at the age of 47, in 1960), this free spirit, who befreinded the members of Cobra, executed a series of 27 watercolors. He did it at his brother-in-law’s request, director Jacques Polieri for Le Voyage, a dialogue between a settled person and a traveling poet. These geometric compositions, circled with large black lines, can be combined in uncountable triptycs, like dominoes. Too bad for the binding… but the most respectable attitude would consist in unstappling the book to then have fun making them again in an uncertain manner.

• Atlan Polieri, Topologies, text by Jacques Polieri, Hazan, 2008, 76 p., 35 €, ISBN : 978-2-7541-0245-2

• Also to see: distemper and paintings by Atlan at the galerie Jacques Elbaz (1, rue d’Alger, 75001 Paris, until 22 March 2008.