Harmonie du soir

« Harmonie du Soir » is a poem by Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), part of the collection “Les Fleurs du Mal”. Baudelaire was considered a “cursed poet”, and his works were prosecuted for offending the religious morality of the time.

Familiar with artificial paradises, he frequented brothels and opium dens.

For these reasons, I chose the poppy flower to illustrate the poem and the bright pink, red and black colors that were frequently used in these establishments.

I found a translation of the poem, and here are the lines that inspired me:

Evening Harmony

Now comes the hour when the stems are stirring

Each flower yielding its fragance as from a censer

Sounds and perfume danse in the evening air

Languorously dizzy and melancholically waltzing

The H of harmony is a linocut embellished with embroidery and paint, the poppies are fused and reworked with inktense pencils.

Dyed cotton sheet, printed linocut, inktense pencils, acrylic paint, fused appliqué.