FOUR QUEENS INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE VARIOUS PASTELS
FOUR QUEENS INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE VARIOUS PASTELS
Every edifice manufactured by man and in the service of man is worthy of interest. Water towers, monuments that are inseparable from civilizations technically advanced since the Roman era, passing through railway stations, ubiquitous since the advent of the railway, these constructions are a technical and cultural heritage which, without provocation, Be placed on an equal footing with so-called "historical" monuments, when it comes to evoking memory.
Thus, our industrial heritage bears witness to an era, certainly, but also to the history of men and women who, at one time or another, left an imprint, a trace, a shadow, a reflection.
THE TRAIN STATION
Soft pastel, 44 x 65 cm, 2010
I know that a train stops there several times a day. For a village of less than 1500 inhabitants it is a chance. I entered the station and discovered a closed wicket, definitely it seems. The windows are broken, the timetable is empty, a chair drags ...
I imagine, however, that this place, on a day of frenzy, the station-keeper calls the laggards to hurry to get in the car, the shadow of a hurried traveler then appears, surreptitiously, then evaporates.
THE WATER TOWER
Soft pastel, 44 x 65 cm, 2010
At the wheel of my car, while the village where I live is still several kilometers away, only this white and red edifice points the tip of its nose and culminates on the horizon, the steeples of the churches being hidden by the trees. I meet him every morning, and find him every night, this is my landmark, my lighthouse.
Obviously, it is not made of "noble" materials, of size stones, but more likely of concrete and metal. Should we not see it? Would this construction, with the simple principle of communicating vessels and indispensable to our life, one day win the status of historical monument, as aqueducts and mills that were initially functional?
THE WASHHOUSE
Soft pastel, 44 x 65 cm, 2010
As I approached the edge, I observed the stone-built bottom. It is invaded by vegetation. It is quite strange, the water is so transparent ... Today is a very quiet, restful place.
It is said that the washerwomen were nicknamed "the chickens of water". I suppose it is the silhouette of one of them that is reflected on the surface of the water. You see it? No ? Ah, you make me doubt! Yet I would swear to see her, head down ...
