Oil on cardboard – 8 x 8 inch – Unique work

Once upon a time, I was at my friends house. And because they were absolute fans of this film, we watched “Moulin Rouge” together.

Does it ring the bell ? It was in 2001 with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in the main roles, respectively Satine and Christian. I had no idea what awaited me. But really none. From the first minutes I instantly fell into the story, both timeless and dreamlike with these settings straight out of the tale of the Arabian Nights. And the music… These tremendous voices, this emotion still haunt me today. Tears are not far away!

Thanks to this film I discovered the famous Moulin Rouge. I have always lived in the Paris suburbs. I have always went to Paris regularly. And yet, I have never seen the Moulin Rouge. What shocked me the most was its size. Because obviously I knew there was a Moulin Rouge in Paris. But I imagined it big, directly on the ground, imposing, in fact a real big building. And it’s not! In the film it’s very small, in height… So I told myself that it was for the purposes of the scenario, of the story. After all, reconstruct the Moulin Rouge…

So I went there to see for myself what this mill looked like. And definitely, it’s not big. It is barely visible unless you look up. And yet as soon as I saw it… I was overwhelmed. It’s so anachronistic and known around the whole world and yet so discreet!

I have been under its spell ever since. I didn’t paint right away in my life. Painting came to me much later. But I haven’t forgotten. And one day, out of the blue, I saw the photo and everything came back to me. This evening with friends, this film full of colors and emotions, this first real meeting with the Moulin Rouge in the streets of Paris, filled with an eclectic crowd.

My brushes and colors took over and highlighted my whole soul. This is how the Moulin Rouge came to life. This is how when I look at it, the Moulin Rouge warms my heart. That’s the way it is, as simple as that and for a very long time to come…