Prévert struck me…

… with his kindness – as one strokes a cat and gives it affection, caring enough to make it feel safe.
Prévert did that drawing for me as a child, after my father had photographed him one more time, during one of their many encounters.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BELOW ARE COPYRIGHT THE ERVIN MARTON ESTATE 2024

Prévert, Kischka and Marton (a work still)

Prévert & X?

Prévert & Capa

Paroles has remained one of my foundational texts.

The context for that drawing
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News & Olds

BREAK THE SURFACE
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To ride the unbalance* between:
1. excellence and a kind, singular and porous identity that contains some of the scruples, humor, humility, musicality & the beauty of a harsh and confusing, yet benign and rich reality – away from distractions.
2. the stupidity and blindness of complacency, violence, injustice, pretense, egos, short-term… wishful… and group “thinking,” and empty talk – in all of their surprising embodiments. And the false sense of fullness all of this provides.
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An appeal for a world NOT so caught up in anthropo/ego/euro/ethno/oculo/esthetico -CENTRISM.
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1. Beware of those who claim to be strong – they are often dangerous.
2. Unmask the hoax of “centrality” – ask an “EX-centric” for assistance?
3. Perceive the arrogance of normalcy: everybody, in one way or another, is handicapped… which brings us back to 1.
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*Not unrelated to “There is beauty and there are the humiliated. Whatever difficulties the enterprise may present, I should like never to be unfaithful either to the second or the first.” — Albert Camus