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Jean des Esseintes:
Jean des Esseintes was the main
character of A rebours (Against Nature) by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Jean
who, overcome with ennui, leaves
the society of Paris to dedicate
himself to the fashioning of « a small
prorperty above Fontenay-aux-Roses, in an out-of-the-way spot, with
no neighbours ». As of this moment, the world at large exists for
Des Esseintes solely as the source
of merchandise to be acquired for
« the adornment of his solitude »books, paintings, rare antiques, rich
fabrics, tropical plants, or a living
tortoise whose jewel-encrusted shell
was devised as an accessory to set
off the tones of his oriental carpet.
Living in self-appointed isolation,
Des Esseintes receives no visitors. At
the end of the books, having finally
ordered by his doctor to abandon
his solitary existence for the sake
of his health an return to Paris and
« ordinary life », the front door of his
home opens suddenly and shatters
the fragile illusion that Des Esseintes
has so carrefully fabricated :
”In the distance,
framed by the doorway, appeared men
dressed in cocked hats,
Jawlensky, Alexej von:
Femme au chapeau, nd
with clean-shaven
cheeks and little tufts
of hair on their chins,
heaving packing cases and moving furnitures.”
The open door reveals the banality
of the world, society, fashion, and
work that Des Esseintes had spent
all this time determinedly avoiding.
The Artist’s House: From Workplace to Artwork by Kirsty Bell
(Sternberg Press)