The Musician and the Poet

La musicienne

Le poète

La musicianne and Le poète (The Musician and the Poet) are two ink drawings that I made simultaneously back in 1990.  The themes were inspired by my readings on Medieval and Renaissance periods.   I really liked the notion of gallantry, romanticism, poetry and the troubadours.  

Artist:     Claude Chapdelaine
Title:       La musicienne et Le poète
Year:       1990
Medium: Ink 

Size:       14x16 white drawing paper
Price:      Not for sale

Silent Witnesses

Silent Witnesses

Artist:       Claude Chapdelaine

Title:         Silent Witnesses

Medium:   Pen ink

Year:         1983

Size:          8"x11"on grey drawing paper

Price:        Not for sale

Here is a poem I wrote to describe what I was feeling when I completed this ink drawing:

Near or Far

They are many

They've come to see hopelessness, expecting defeat

They've come in Silence, Faceless

They are the ones who brought him down with cutting edges

trusting that he will no longer be Him-self

to stop his way of thinking and believing

to stop his voice from speaking, his lungs from breathing

to stop his good heart, from loving and soaring

to stop him in his mid-step, from moving forward

to stake him into one position 

and claim him as one of their own

to render him Silent 

Obedient

    

The sitting buddha takes on many forms, its spirit adapts

Prayer, it comes bearing gifts in difficult circumstances

He is Zoned out on a sandy beach a million miles away

remembering what its like to be Himself,

contemplating the book of Verbs,

reciting softly the mantra he learnt as a boy

listening to his heartbeat

embracing the winds and murmurs that come his way

whispering his Name

NOISE

Wikipedia has the following for a definition on Allegory:

Allegory has been used widely throughout the histories of all forms of art; 

a major reason for this is its immense power to illustrate complex ideas and concepts 

in ways that are easily digestible and tangible to its viewers, readers, or listeners. 

An allegory conveys its hidden message 

through symbolic figures, actions, imagery, and/or events. 

Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric; 

a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning 

other than the words that are spoken.

The Distraught Heart (Le coeur à l'envers)

 The Distraught Heart (Le coeur à l'envers)

This is one of my favourite ink drawings 18"x14".  A hairless man is holding gently a large cracked tattooed heart upside down against his cheek.   

I wanted to depict a vulnerability in his naked form, hairless skin and tears.  Though he seems not in the present, he does feel the strong energy emanating in the background.  The four flowers with heart petals that are embedded in the circle of life are joined in solidarity.  They will help him heal and find the capacity to love again.

The Love That Sleeps

The Love That Sleeps

I drew this in one sitting one evening while I was still attending college.  I had a terrible crush on someone and I couldn't bring myself to explore it.  I had never felt that strongly about anyone before and it frightened me, destabilized my thoughts, my reserve.  I recall when I put the various elements of this drawing together, I was imagining what it would be like if I could just keep those feelings below the surface and hopefully put them to sleep. 

On the right side of the page, I drew on a vertical slant a bird with a long beak and spanned wings. The heart on the centre of page is connected by an umbilical cord to this bird who is trying to take flight.  The heart was not willing to let go or was unable to be dragged away.

The heart would like to follow but it is solidly fixed within the core of the man who seems deep in sleep.  His heart is not as strong as his intellect. The celestial umbilical cord is solidly attached to his head, feeding him with images, sounds, and smells.  The man's eyes are closed as if he is in a meditative state or is simply accepting the transferring or receiving of messages from his Higher Power.  

The deer antlers on the man's head symbolizes his crown of thorns, one that guards his manly pride and which keeps his enemies or friends at a certain distance.   

This drawing is a good example of how at the time I repressed those feelings and kept them at bay, even though the energy surrounding me wanted me to acknowledge what was burning inside me.  I chose to protect my heart.

The Journey's of One's Life or L'homme naturel

The Journey's of One's Life or L'homme naturel

I was in my early twenties when I created this indian ink drawing 8"x11".  I consider it my "master" piece or master plan as it represents the journeys that I must embark on from conception to death. 

I originally called "The Life Spans of Man""L'homme naturel".  The french title did not convey the meaning of what I sought to achieve.  This is an ink drawing that contains many esoteric and spiritual symbols that resonated with me when I was in my twenties attending college.  The life spans that I feel I've lived (metaphorically) are depicted by the folds in the figure's head turban. 

I had to have been inspired by the many readings that I did and the dreams that had that particular year.  This drawing still represents today the road I was to travel - from the day of my conception, birth, the people I met along the way and with whom I travelled and left at different crossroads, to the decisions that brought joy and grief.  Many of the lessons I did not understand in my youth, I am understanding them today. 

The central figure represents the fire and knowledge that motivates the spirit.  The face represent the Higher Power, the Guru, the Guardian Angel, Teacher/Master, Holy Man, the priest, the Spiritual Guide, or the Shaman.  If you turn the drawing clockwise, you will see the cloak turn into a landscape where the sun shines behind a aboriginal totem pole.