Tribute to Postman Cheval

The artist's installation Tribute to Postman Cheval is representative of his work. Created from an odd collection of accumulated objects, this portrait of Ferdinand Cheval in his postman's uniform was inspired by a photo from 1905. The two artists are in fact closely connected, since both of them gather objects. For the self-taught builder of the Ideal Palace, it was all about stones, whereas this anamorphic image is made up of items like a chair, a guitar, a Buddha's head, a wheelbarrow, and dolls' legs. Behind the postman are two walls bearing the writing "Ne rien écrire là-dessus" (Please write) and "Défense de ne rien toucher" (Please touch). These two texts can be seen at the Ideal Palace, on the east facade and in the gallery, respectively. In reference to the naive architect's identity, a photo of a horse's head is drawn within a horseshoe. Below it, a little fellow wearing a metal nut in place of a hat is pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with Michelangelo's Pietà sculpture. In reference to Western art history, it is also possible to see a Venus de Milo from behind, as well as the she-wolf from Romulus and Remus. As with the Ideal Palace, the composition is notable for its lack of empty space. It helps to take a step back to fully appreciate the nature of this composition, just as it can be good to climb up onto the Belvédère built by Postman Cheval in front of the three giants in order to enjoy the full breadth of his work.