Marian Williams

“In Nantes, searching for Lola, Harry, and so many others…”

Sept. 2021

Mixed media composition on 195 x 130 x 4 cm canvas.
Oil paint, acrylic paint, pencil, transfer collage and paper collage.

Portrait of Henri IV, based on the “Portrait of Henri IV en Mars” by Ambrosius Bosschaert better known as Ambroise Dubois, on which Henri is represented as a triumphant emperor dressed in pink, a pink that challenges, surprises and delights.

The image of Henri IV in the center is consistent with the original work, except for his face which is divided into two halves.
The top half is replaced by the face of the iconic French actor of a genre, known for his swashbuckling roles, Gérard Barray.
The lower half, down to the ruff, is that of another representation of Henri, the Prince of Béarn, then king of France and Navarre and attributed to François Bunel.
The left hand of Henri is also modified and replaced by the left hand of God in 'The Creation of Adam' by Michelangelo.

Two ladies are at the King's side. Both have a double identity, half of which represents the actress Anouk Aimée in the 1961 film 'Lola'.
To Henri's right, we see Lola mixed with Gabrielle d'Estrées' face and details of the painting ‘Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses sœurs’ attributed to the Fontainebleau school. In this painting Gabrielle is represented, in the bath and in the company of her sister Julienne D'Estrées, duchesse de Villars, who pinches her breast.
Here, in this composition, Gabrielle's face is inverted and it is the arm borrowed from her sister on the famous painting, that reaches not to her sister but towards Henri.
To the left of Henri, Lola is mixed with the 'very beautiful and very pious' Antoinette de Pons, Countess of La Roche-Guyon.
The details are from her portrait by François Quesnel (Le Vieux).
Nimbuses halo Gabrielle and Antoinette.

The composition features a cross in the bottom left corner. It represents a detail of one of the sumptuous Byzantine frescoes in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Ohrid in North Macedonia.
During the French religious wars, each faction carried their cross. The cross used for this composition is a ‘Latin’ cross from a cathedral of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. It symbolises the point in common between the Catholic and Protestant faction.

In a dark but brightening sky we read the first sentence of the Edit de Nantes.




” This composition is inspired by a summer evening spent with friends in the Champagne region.
Neither a political nor historical manifesto, the work represents a memory, a poetic licence of an offbeat enthusiastic conversation, a subjective, friendly and amused 'report' of this evening.

I borrowed a few characters from this one night conversation with Henri, the wars of religion, with Nantes, with Anouk, Cécile, Gabrielle, Antoinette, Gérard and so many other people and so many others trivial matters… or not.
Any confusion, any anachronism, any smile or wink will not necessarily be accidental and possibly absolutely desired.

During this conversation I rediscovered Mr. Gérard Barray, a theatre and film actor who excelled in the roles of big-hearted swordsmen in the 60’s cinema, where he embodied flamboyantly, d'Artagnan, Pardaillan, Surcouf and Scaramouche.
Barray, in his roles as in his personality, always gives an impression of great kindness with a little touch of irony under a most elegant thin moustache.
To place Gérard Barray’s warm and charming look in the center, mixed with Henri’s features, respectful of the two protagonists, was a fun challenge.

As for the ladies… all are desirable, but not just that.
Gabrielle d’Estrees, was in our conversation that evening and it was said that she was undoubtedly not a total stranger and probably an advisor to the Edict of Nantes.
As for Antoinette de Pons, she also was a woman of character. She was invested in business and acted as the protector of, among others, Bernard Palissy.
Lola is there too. Doubly so. Nantes is also Lola. Iconic film by Jacques Demy.
Lola / Anouk Aimée was also with us that evening. A long while even.

With warm memories, mixing and juxtaposing these characters and our candid discussions, I created this original composition.
The sky began to brighten on the canvas, a sky neither truly Flemish nor truly Italian that fitted the first sentence of the Edict of Nantes.
A time of peace. A time of hope. '