A poem by this name by the French poet, essayist and philosopher Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) appeared in his most famous work, a volume of poems called “Les fleurs du mal” (The Flowers of Evil). The work was considered very controversial and he was prosecuted for obscenity. It did establish his reputation though. The poems deal with urban themes, the changing society due to industrialization, irony, beauty, decay, sex and death (scandalous at the time). He is considered a forerunner to existentialism and was a key figure in 19th century literature.

This particular poem deals with time, not as a neutral measure but more of an inescapable predator, a menace, an executioner. Time judges and sentences, never competing but always winning, it colonizes us.

In keeping with the spirit of the poem I gave the clock a dark menacing background.

Impassive clock! Terrifying, sinister god,

Whose finger threatens us and says:

Remember!

Remember! Time is a greedy player

Who wins without cheating, every round! It’s the law.

Commercial and hand printed cottons, tule, wool, sequens, button, free motion embroidery and hand stitching.

Detail view:

Original digital image: Stoyanka Ivanova