Seeking inspiration for a new project in these imposed inert days of the pandemic, Ι went back to an old, mental image of mine. It was the time when, due to a severe family problem, I had returned unexpectedly from abroad where I was studying (in 1988) and was looking for relief through the path of photography I was discovering. That was when I came in contact with meditation. I used to practice late at night, isolated in my room, listening to relaxing music on my Walkman. For practical reasons, I used to transfer my vinyl albums to audio tapes (the mp3 wasn’t invented yet). An album, which in time turned out to be one of my favorites, was titled: “Film Music for Relaxation and Meditation - Vol.2” by Milan Records. It was a beautiful collection of French movie soundtracks from the ’60s and the ’80s. Each tune was a real gem. Listening to that music helped me a lot to concentrate and quickly get into a state of deep calm. In particular, I would like to refer to Frédéric Devreese’s piano piece: “Soundtrack, Vol. 2: Prelude”, performed by Andre de Groote. Every time I listened to that melancholic melody, I imagined myself standing alone on a lunar rock, gazing from above, in absolute silence, at the majestic silver wilderness of our satellite and our shockingly vibrant, blue habitat. That vision brought me closer to my inner peace. Since then, I have always had in mind to illustrate and share it one day. That day turned out to be today. Since the Covid-19 restrictive measures kept me indoors, I searched for photographic material through the royalty-free platform of Unsplash. I found and downloaded 4 images for free, all suitable for my project, and got down to business. It took me about 3 days to publish my artwork. I usually give my projects 2-3 days to sink in before I am sure they are completed. Through my many years of apprenticeship in photography and digital image editing, practices I teach and apply in my own art as well, those 4 images blended into this one:
Art saved me in that difficult period of my life and continues to rescue me until now. I don’t know how or if I would have made it without Her, and for that reason, I shall be eternally grateful. Finally, it would be interesting to share with you the material that helped me complete the whole idea, starting with the Devreese’s prelude that you can enjoy here:
Here are the vinyl and royalty-free photos with the photographers’ credits. I warmly thank them.
P.S.
Whoever is interested in listening to the rest of the tracks of that 32 years old album since its release, I quote the links I managed to find through the Spotify platform:
Fort Saganne - Générique (Philippe Sarde)
La Pirate - Alma Est Partie (Philippe Sarde)
Le Mépris - Générique (Georges Delerue)
Le Mépris - Thème de Camille (Georges Delerue)
Le Mépris - Adagio (Georges Delerue)
Benvenuta - Habanera (Frédéric Devreese)
Jean de Florette - Générique (Jean-Claude Petit)