Roberto Bolano's Cowboy Graves: Book Review

Roberto Bolano’s Cowboy Graves: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

Roberto Bolano’s collection, Cowboy Graves, was published posthumously in 2017. The English translation was released in 2021. Known for his novels 2666, and Savage Detectives Bolano offers readers three novelettes that are partly biographical and woven into his broader literary world. This collection serves both as an introduction to Bolano’s world and as stand alone narratives that will captivate fans. The tales explore themes of revolution, artistic ambition, and identity, set against the backdrop of society’s underbelly. Bolano’s characters grapple with antisocial tendencies, revolutionary aspirations, and the challenges of navigating life’s unpredictable events, yet they hold onto the hope of changing the world.

In the first novelette, Cowboy Graves, we meet Arturo Belano, a Chilean born in Concepcion, who moves to Mexico City and later returns to Chile. Through Arturo’s recollections of his father, Bolano explores themes of identity and belonging. Arturo recalls moments with his father, a man torn between bravado and a desire to display his Mexican vaquero roots. In Mexico City, Arturo forms a friendship with “The Grub” as is drawn to leftist ideologies, prompting his return to Chile and joining the revolution. However, his outsider status leads to incarceration and violence. Despite the challenges he faces, Arturo’s love for literature remains his lighthouse like an unmovable rocky coastline. Following Arturo’s journey, the second novelette introduces a new character in a different setting. In this case he is offered a chance to go into exile in France, but also to live in the sewers of Paris.

In French Comedy of Horrors, a young poet in Guyana that has just witnessed an eclipse decides to take the long way home only to find himself lured into the underground world of surrealists by a phone call from Paris. The caller attempts to convince him to relocate to Paris, promising an artistic awakening. This story delves into the multifaceted nature of literature, contrasting mainstream and unconventional writing. Bolano highlights the choices writers face: pursuing fame or evoking emotions and actions. Yet, it is the individual who decides what community he will join or what lane his art will take. Ultimately, the story underscores the idea that whatever path we choose, we may become exiles due to our art, ideas, or geographical moves.

The third novelette, Fatherland, reflects on the concept of homeland and its implications for both Bolano’s characters and the reader. It prompts reflection on how we define our place of birth and lineage, asking whether we reside in the motherland or fatherland. This story expands on Bolano’s experiences in Chile and the leftist revolution, but also contemplates physical and mental exile. It examines how past, present and future environments influence writers and their creations. In this way, Bolano invites readers to ponder the impermanence of places, material possessions, identities, and even ourselves.

The stories in Cowboy Graves are engaging and original, though parts of “The Grub” appear in The Savage Detectives. Additionally, the scene where Arturo shares his fiction with a Jesuit echoes themes from another of Bolano’s novels. Nevertheless, like much of Bolano’s work, these posthumously published stories challenge readers to explore the motivations behind their writing and inspire them to continue their creative journeys. They also serve as a mirror, reflecting on our favorite writers, the makeup of our identities, and how life’s contexts lead us to make unexpected choices that can result in voluntary or involuntary exile. Bolano’s Cowboy Graves not only enriches our understanding of his literary universe but also invites us to reflect on our own artistic ambitions and identities.

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath: Book Review and Reflections

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath: Book Review and Reflections

By Armando Ortiz

Is the migration of people a phenomenon that exists during one generation or is it something that has taken place hundreds of times for thousands of years? John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, captures the plight of Oklahoma farmers who lost their lands during the Great Depression. Steinbeck’s novel is one of the best novels I’ve read recently, resonating deeply with current migration issues as it explores the hardships faced by people displaced from their homes. 

I started reading Steinbeck’s novel a week before leaving for Peru and was completely engrossed by the plot. Once in Peru, the parallels between the Joad daily’s journey and the struggles of families migrating to the United States today became strikingly clear. This resemblance deepened my engagement with Steinbeck’s portrayal of resilience in the face of displacement. This review not only examines the novel but also reflects on its relevance on today’s migrants to the U.S.

The novel centers on the Joad family, particularly Tom Joad, as they struggle to survive in a rapidly changing world. In addition to chronicling the experiences that his characters go through he also describes the forces of nature over the American Southwest. The Joad family’s deep connection to their land is tested by unforgiving nature and relentless economic forces. During the Dust Bowl- a devastating drought in the mid-1930s Midwest- they struggle to maintain their home, only to be uprooted by banks prioritizing profit over people.

The banks and business interests of their property are not concerned for the wellbeing of people there. Locals in the countryside continue to lose their land to mechanized agriculture and are left with two options: try to get employed by those businesses or move somewhere else. The parcels lost by the families are the places they’ve called home for at least the last three generations. The uprooted family is forced to make tough decisions that will take them to California. 

The Joad family’s deep connection to their land mirrors the universal bond that many have with the earth- a bond often cut by forces beyond their control. As their fight against the banks becomes futile, this connection becomes a painful memory, pushing them toward a new hope in California. During my trek on the Inca Trail in Peru, a guide spoke of the spiritual connections people have with the earth, a sentiment that echoes in Steinbeck’s portrayal of Jim Casy and the Joad’s family’s bond to their land.

Ultimately, the Joad family abandons their fight against the banks and sets off for California, lured by pamphlets promising plentiful farming jobs and the hope of prosperity. For the Joads, the food, grapes and oranges, and the possibility of affording a home together draws them West. 

As the Joads journey west, their story eerily parallels the experiences of many Latin American migrants heading to the U.S. today, driven by similar hopes and hardships. People who decide to head North to where the myth of finding pennies on the ground or picking up used televisions on the corners is alive. 

Tragedy soon follows the Joads westward: their dog is killed, Grandpa Joad dies and is buried by the roadside, and eventually, Grandma Joad passes away. The family’s journey is marked by loss and abandonment, reflecting the harsh realities of displacement. Little by little the family loses members, and they abandon their material possessions.

The trials endured by the Joad family- loss, displacement, and the struggle for survival- are not relics of the past but living realities faced by countless migrants today. These scenes are poignantly mirrored today by the perilous journeys of migrants from South America to the U.S., who face immense hardships along routes like the Darien Gap. In South America, I witnessed first hand the strength of family and community ties, echoing the Joads’ experience of unity and loss. 

Just as Oklahoma served as a departure point for Dust Bowl migrants, towns in Colombia act as staging areas for those embarking on the perilous journey through the Darien Gap. Like many migrant families, the Joads family begin their journey united, but overtime, their cohesion erodes under the weight of tragedy and hardships.

In the midst of their journey, families like the Joads, are sadly separated by tragedy or necessity. Blood ties are not as strong as they once were. By watching videos and reading about the Darien Gap one learns that people begin to lighten their load once the weather, and terrain begin to take a toll on their bodies. Familial unity either becomes stronger or weakens. People get swept away by the rivers or get robbed by locals. The worst experience being one survivor of a five person family unit making it to the Panamanian refugee camp. 

Tragically, as Steinbeck illustrates, the hope of a  new beginning often demands a baptism of suffering. The renewal that comes with their move West has strings attached. Just as the Joad family faced discrimination, exploitation, and verbal abuse by the locals. Today there are politicians that blame our nation’s ills on illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. These new immigrants have become the new scapegoats for all that is bad in the country. 

Despite facing oppression from legal systems, neighbors and religious groups, the Joad family perseveres. They quickly adapt to their way of life and what keeps them moving forward is having a warm meal, but also a place to call their own. It is in their desperation, like immigrants today, where they find the strength to keep moving forward. 

Dispossessed and driven by necessity, today’s migrants, like the Joads, embody humanity at its rawest. Steinbeck’s novel compels us to recognize the enduring struggles of the poor and dispossessed, highlighting the shared human experience of seeking a better life amidst adversity.

Though written over 80 years ago, Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath remains a timeless exploration of forced migration and the universal quest for a better life. It shows us that there will always be a reason why people decide to put their lives at risk as they hold on to promises that are only that and that along the way they will have to find new ways to adapt and push forward towards a new and better life.

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl: Review

Standing Against the Waves - John Steinbeck’s The Pearl: Review

By Armando Ortiz

In John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl, a young couple named Kino and Juana face a crisis when their baby, Coyotito, is bitten by a scorpion. Desperate for medical help, Kino seeks assistance but finds none due to their lowly status.

Determined to find a solution, Kino heads to the sea to hunt for pearls to pay for his son’s treatment and discovers the largest pearl anyone has ever seen, which seems like a blessing soon turns into a curse as news of his find spreads throughout the town.

The pearl’s discovery attracts the attention of everyone, including those who previously ignored Kino’s family. The entire community becomes obsessed with the pearl’s potential, yet they overlook the dire condition of Coyotito, who lies at death’s door.

Kino dreams of the changes his newfound treasure will bring, envisioning his son attending school, buying a rifle, and purchasing new clothes for the family. Yet, selling the pearl proves difficult as local dealers conspire to undervalue it to maximize their profits.

The pearl soon becomes a source of danger, bringing violence during the night and suspicions in the morning. Kino faces attacks from those who wish to steal it. The same doctor who once refused to help his family now shows up. Though the doctor supposedly saves Coyotito’s life, his true intentions remain suspicious. 

Juana, realizing the pearl’s destructive power, hopelessly attempts to throw it back in the sea, but Kino stops her. The drama by the coast worsens as Kino is ambushed by mysterious figures. Despite the mounting tragedies, Kino and Juana remain determined to persevere.

  Throughout the narrative, Kino confronts the challenges head on. Just when things look bleak, there is a flash of hope and a solution. Nonetheless, this brings even more challenges, and the relentless pressure of his responsibilities weigh heavily on him. Steinbeck skillfully portrays Kino and his family’s struggles, as if standing still against the metaphorical waves that threaten their existence.

Kino is aware of his low position in his community, but the pearl’s discovery emboldens him to seek a better life. When the townspeople refuse to offer a fair price for the pearl, he decides to journey north, hoping for fairer opportunities. However, this decision leads to more violence and the tragic death of Coyotito.

Steinbeck’s novella highlights the plight of those marginalized by society’s power structures. The narrative illustrates how the ruling class in the story relentlessly obtains valuable resources at the lowest cost, often at the expense of the poor. Kino’s refusal to sell the pearl cheaply attracts dangerous attention from those eager to profit from his misfortune.

The setting of The Pearl reflects Steinbeck’s profound understanding of the Sea of Cortez. His vivid descriptions of the tide pools and the desert boulders that Kino climbs to find safety reveal his intimate knowledge of the Baja California region. By immersing the reader in this environment, Steinbeck extends his narrative of California into Mexico, showcasing the unique lives and experiences shaped by the contours of the coast.

Nevertheless, the story remains relevant today. As we scan the news about faraway places and the precarious lives of the poor, we realize that this narrative is universal and powerful. It unfolds daily from the highlands of the Andes to the jungles of the Congo, from coastal fishing villages to populous megacities. Ultimately, The Pearl is a timeless story of human perseverance amidst formidable challenges, resonating with audiences across cultures and eras.

Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot: Review

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot: Review

By Armando Ortiz

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot can be seen from the perspective of the disciplined will that allows us to learn and gain knowledge. It seems ruthless to realize that that is what enables our wisdom to grow even more. Estragon seems to always be in pain with some physical ailment. Vladimir is a bit more rational, but he insists on waiting for Godot. Even though they see Pozzo subjugating and humiliating Lucky they really don’t tae the necessary steps to stop Pozzo from being authoritative, cruel and a dictator like towards Lucky. Instead they become spectators of Pozzo and Lucky’s unfolding drama. Estragon continues to busy himself with his foot pains and begins to contemplate suicide, while Vladimir continues to rationalize everything, and at times helps Estragon reconsider his situation. 

An interesting situation that begins to develop from the dysfunctional relationship that exists in the story is that characters do not detach themselves from the suffering that they inflict on each other, and when they are separated it brings out bouts of blindness and aloneness. In many ways our dependence on particular relationships make us question our ability to survive in this world, and yet it is those close relationships of family and old friends that help us get through our trials and tribulations, albeit these social situations are a cause of those sufferings as well.

A boy appears in the play a couple of times and he might very well represent the childhood that everyone experiences and the people that they come across as they grow up and come into being with, and though the actions of adults might seem frightening, the child too will one day struggle to find meaning in life. They too will have questions about existence, they too will see injustice, and a sense of fairness and equality will be turned upside down and people be redeemed. One thing they too might forget and maybe wait for, is the return to their childhood. In many ways this becomes reminiscent of characters that exist in other great novels where children are exposed to the cruelties and saving graces of humanity. It is up to those in the present to somehow save the children, but also what they see and experience in the society that they grow up in that molds them. 

The children of The Brothers Karamazov and the characters of Huckleberry Finn all grow, live and survive in the conditions that their societies have created. It is within the realities that each nation and cultural region perceives the world that people grow up and reach full personhood. Waiting for Godot reveals that although there are many instances in life where we wait for something to happen, by doing so life and events unfold. The question then becomes what are we as readers doing to affect the realities under which and in which we exist.

Juan Rulfo's World: A Literary Diorama

Juan Rulfo's World: A Literary Diorama

by Armando Ortiz

Juan Rulfo is one of the best short story writers of the Americas, and his one short novel ranks as one of the best. He stands amongst the great short story writers of all time, and will be read for many years to come. 

Rulfo was born in 1917 in Jalisco, Mexico. His father was killed at 6 years old, and four years later his mother died. In his early teens he lived in an orphanage located in Guadalajara. Despite these challenges he managed to study accounting and went on to become an author and salesman. He received a fellowship that enabled him to focus on writing which gave birth to two books.

His stories take place in a time of great instability and violence, The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and the Cristero Wars (1926-1929) during which poverty became the environment from which his stories emerge. The violence he describes must have been born from the experiences of that time. Violence, was and still is very common in Latin America stemming from politics. It's a theme that many people around the world can understand. 

His whole written canon is made up of two books: a collection of short stories, El Llano En Llamas (The Burning Plain and other short stories) and one short novel, Pedro Paramo.  There is another book that was published, a collection of photographs that he took throughout Mexico. I’d heard his name in passing from an acquaintance. He was very familiar with Latin American writers and told me that there was one particular character found in Rulfo’s book of short stories, El Llano En Llamas, that stood out, Lucas Lucatero.

Reading his works one easily gets lost in the web of his prose which creates magical settings inside the mind. His descriptions and emotions blend to become enigmatic of what word play ought to be. His stories set the bar high and are a template for good writing.

In Rulfo’s world people are always coming and going. Going to places unknown and never seen before. Characters come from locations with strange names and sites where prayers go unheard. Protagonists are always passing through towns where the inhabitants seem more like wandering spirits in purgatory. The people in his stories have condemned themselves or have earned the condemnation of others.

Furthermore, the poor travel by foot or donkey, while the rich gallop around in horses. Ghosts, like Sisyphus, are condemned to carry firewood on their backs on paths that lead to nowhere- forever. Horse riders become the embodiment of the pale horse rider found in the Book of Revelation, and are not given the sacred sacraments of priests. Salvation is inches away but never acquired. No one is immune to the sins of humanity, and to the consequences of violence. Heaven has become a mirage that exists only in delirious dreams.

Though not spoken, each character’s perception, hand gesture, physical movements and journeys to certain places indicate their destiny. Fate becomes an individual’s collective decision and collective future. Bandits are shot at night in the midst of a robbery. Murders are swept away by torrential rains or are relegated to haunt towns forever.

Choices that were made at a time of heated passion, anger and depression become part of the condemnation. Death becomes imbued with sentimentality and regret. Revenge almost completes the cycle of justice but the circle is never really closed. Vengeance leaves the door open to more misfortune. Incest brings about hidden desires and outward shows of affection towards the dead through hollow rituals.

Exploitation is a byword for the impunity by which people live. Killers are condemned by their own crimes and their sleep becomes one where ghost talk and victims scream at night. Violence is the accepted norm. Blood, the sacred liquid that is supposed to cleanse, just gets coagulated with dust, dirt and sweat infecting the body. The sick are relegated to sweat it out in their own mental sweat lodge. Clinging on to the hope of going to the bigger town to pray to the holier relic.

Despite the suffering that many characters live through, every one of them wishes to keep on living. Yet when the time comes to confront death everyone tries to run away. Like Antonius Block, the Crusader in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, they try to play chess against death and make excuses to prolong the game. 

Wishing to hold on to life a bit longer, the sweetness of sautéed onions with garlic and olive becomes delectable to them. Morning toil becomes dawn’s morning glory. The gun to their temple makes his characters kneel down and beg for life. Their existence is rough but also bearable in Rulfo’s diorama. Nature in his world takes on dimensions that are linked to ancient Mexican mythology with the recent experienced lives.

Reading through his stories you arrive at small towns where natural forces punish its dwellers, as if the Aztec god of tlaloc slithers around in the background. Streams seem to feed the wild weeds. There is hardly any water that’s drinkable, and irrigating the cornfields is a precarious endeavor. Fruit that is harvested by the shadow characters isn’t sweet. Bitter is the taste of life. 

When the rains come, it pours, rivers awaken and can take small adobe homes down canyons and arroyos. The possessions of poverty stricken families; a cow, a pair of pigs and occasionally a relative; are washed away. Life is harsh, but nature seems to be the cruelest of them all.

This harsh natural backdrop becomes a vivid canvas in Rulfo’s narratives. His descriptions of the environment and climate are active and alive, portraying the sun as hot embers hanging over the heads of everyone. When it rains the tears of his characters’ eyes flow as fast as the savage rivers. The sky is blue, and lifeless. Even in the oppressive heat the sky remains cold and silent. 

The winds walk down corridors like lost children at the mall, wailing for something. Waking life becomes an itch that has no origins and no cure for it can be found. Sleep becomes torturous, because the weather is uncomfortable and secrets can’t get lost in the darkness. Night quickly disappears and the rising sun quickly wakes everyone up from their slumber. 

With the unrelenting heat of the moving sun and the trampling of dirt roads, dust rises. The floating sand particles enter through the mouth and nostrils of the characters making breathing, even for the reader, difficult. Life is tough and complex but his stories are easy to understand.

Even after death spirits wander in the stories in their own hell. Infinity is not something worth talking about or worth discussing because the present moment is too bleak and death so certain. It's just a matter of time before we once again wake up and have to deal with the realities of life. As a result superstition seeps through in many of the religious scenes.

Superstition becomes an outlet of hope where there is none. Saints bleed tears of remorse, because no god exists within Rulfo’s stories. Virgin statuettes seem to shed tears but are artificially placed there by priests in the morning. Idol’s hands spread like branches accepting all, listening to the incoherent cries of believers. Carved dolls cannot see mourners because of the thick incense smoke and their own wooden eyes are blind to injustice. Rulfo, in essence, walks the reader through the Valley of Death and tells them that the journey never ends. 

In a way we see the complexity of life through Rulfo eyes. He reveals that humans have complex desires and needs and sometimes are expressed through violence, and superstitions. Yet, a strong sense of human spirit is found in his stories. His characters at times depend on the blessings of priests, blessings that money can and cannot buy. Individuals that have to be forgiven but are not or cannot. 

Everyone at some point wants to be forgiven for something they’ve done. Remorse, even in death, is what many spirits continue to carry. Even in the bleakest of scenes you can hear the traces of hope being whispered throughout the stories. Life can be harsh, with violence being relative around the world, and humans always adapting to the changing winds of new ideas versus old traditions. Yet, it's the heat of the day that causes the nectar of flowers to drop like water onto the ground. Experiencing Rulfo’s writing is like entering an entire self contained world where the forces of nature are unforgiving and harsh, and yet people continue to persist in life.

Jose Saramago's The Gospel According to Jesus Christ: Book Review and Reflection

Jose Saramago’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

Have you ever wondered why many of our holidays revolve around the life of Jesus? Jose Saramago’s novel, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, explores the missing instances of Jesus’s life and their impact on Earth. His story will make readers reconsider the impact that narrative has had on our lives. In this essay I will briefly summarize key points of the novel and then reflect on its significance alongside the Bible.

The novel presents a unique portrayal of Jesus living in the Fertile Crescent's cultural milieu. Saramago delves into Jesus’ character, emphasizing his inner conflicts about his destiny and the impact he will have on civilizations.

Saramago’s Jesus is attempting to come to grips with his existence, and his desire for guidance creates empathy for him. He is rejected by his family and embraced by his companion Mary. He questions the need for rituals, as when he purchases a lamb to take to the temple, and then questions the eventual sacrifice of his body. 

In one scene, Jesus attempts to help out the communities he visits, but ends up adversely affecting the other surrounding towns of the lake. Scenes like these will make you think of our own choices and actions with the reactions that occur.

While in the middle of the Sea of Galilee he confronts his creator. During that meeting the fallen angel who announced his birth, and taught him to become a shepherd appears. The devil’s appearance is not intended to incite but to observe and study the deity- turned human. The pastor, in his own way, assumes a role offering alternatives, and raises questions about the evolving realities. This prompts Jesus to contemplate his existence and the path his life has taken. Saramago’s devil isn’t the horned demon that we’ve all come to know from the bible and ideas that orbit Western thought. Satan shows up to observe and to ask questions.

Furthermore, Saramago’s character is open to learning and following. Jesus is autonomous, although not so free from the perspective of the devil. The novel makes you question the existence of Jesus. Whether for good or bad, his life and ideas ended up having an impact on human history. Saramago’s character lets himself be taken by the flow of experiences, getting as dirty as we get. He never claims to be free of sin, and religious piety is non-existent in light of the unreasonable religious demands. He has a clean spirit, but is physically impure. He becomes like one of us.

Nevertheless, the lingering question posed by this novel is whether the scenes from the Bible being portrayed are fiction. This renders all associated ideas within it as fictional. Heaven and hell, good and evil, and all other beliefs connected to the bible are turned upside down by Saramago. After reading the novel I wonder what premises would horror movies have to use if the Christianity did not exist. Morality and sin would be seen from a different perspective. The land where all these events supposedly happened wouldn’t be as sacred and holy as religions claim it to be.

All we have seen in the last two thousand years has been a shadow, the end result, of a narrative that’s had a deep effect on all humanity. Millions of people have been forever affected by the doctrines that emerged in that region of the world. Ideas that sprouted from there altered the trajectory of humanity. 

We only know of Jesus from what the bible tells us, the miracles made, but we don’t get insights into his intentions or into his mind. Saramago’s tale takes place, behind the scenes, the events that were not written down as Jesus became the savior, the perfect lamb to be sacrificed. He places us in the mind of Jesus. For example, Jesus refused to sacrifice his first lamb, refusing to follow the traditions of his people. Yet, what if Jesus had lived the way described in the novel, and what if his mundane interactions and miracles were acts to help those around him. If his attempts at making peace with humanity were true then it would be another story in the series of narratives that describe his life.

Building on this idea, if the impact of Saramago’s tale were similar to the narrative found in the bible, all our belief systems would be different. The conquest of the Americas and the ideas that Natives worshiped the devil would have to change. The religious narratives that emerged out of the bible to justify religious traditions, conquests, and massacres would have been different. Love would be interpreted from a kinder, sympathetic and empathetic perspective like in Saramago’s novel. The beliefs of the second coming of Jesus, Judgement Day and the resurrection would be canceled forever.

Jesus experiences love, family rejection, gossip, town controversy. He has difficulties managing the powers bestowed upon him by the maker. He knew the die was cast and had to follow through with the guilt of knowing what had happened. The visits by a magical being, his father’s cowardice and desire to keep him alive. His unwillingness to make an offering at the temple, experiencing human compassion, kindness from people one would least expect, and falling in love. These scenes and events are left out from the stories found in the Bible. 

In much the same way that the world’s savior narrative emerged, Saramago weaves a narrative that aligns with our preconceptions of who Jesus was- just a person living his life. A man trying to orient himself in the realities that he was living under. Born out of thin air into a milieu of beliefs and traditions, like a puff of smoke, that only reinforced the beliefs of orthodox ideas of other traditions intimately connected to the bible.

In conclusion, Saramago prompts readers to ponder Jesus’ beyond the traditional narrative, challenging established beliefs. His character undergoes love, rejection, controversy, and compassion, humanizing the figure we know today. The novel invites us to explore the impact of second-hand ideas on a global scale. Yet, the narrative also lets us consider the aspects that make us human on a daily basis, showing compassion, helping those in need of help, loving those around us, and sharing time with those that love us back.

The Art of Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myths, Modern Symbolism, and Roberto Bolano's 2666

The Art of Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myths, Modern Symbolism, and Roberto Bolano's 2666

By Armando Ortiz

I was first introduced to the art of Gustav Moreau’s while reading Roberto Bolano’s novel 2666, but really knowing who he was and his art came later. While reading James Joyce’s Ulysses, I learned more about Gustave Moreau. This is when I discovered that the art cover on Bolano’s 2666 was taken from Moreau’s piece titled, Jupiter and Semele. The cover art and the novel it protected fit well with the apocalyptic story that was told inside. 

The symbolism and message projected in that painting was religious, cryptic, political and imbued with so much epic mythology that to come to a full understanding of them is quite a challenge. Nonetheless, even in darkness there is a flicker of light that shines a light that reveals a hidden path. The abstractness of a painting or song is what eventually makes us take a second look, which then opens up to the door a greater understanding of its meaning. This has been the experience I had while learning about Moreau and his art.

My quasi rediscovery came about as I was engrossed in the midst of Ulysses and hit upon a conversation on art and literature that one of the main characters was having, where he described different artists and ideas the concepts they present in their works. In this case the “paintings of Gustav Moreau are the painting of ideas.” (James Joyce, Ulysses p.185)

This reintroduction to his work prompted me to read more about the artist, and become more familiar with his works of art. I learned that Moreau’s art is very apocalyptic and many of his paintings are in watercolor, a medium that was not used much those days. His paintings look apocalyptic with his use of bible imagery and what seems to be related to death and the spirit world. At times you might see angels carrying a dead body. At other times some paintings have a woman carrying the head of a man on a platter. In another instance a head appears to a woman. 

Watercolor paintings are as challenging as using oils. When using oils, you mix white into different colors to replicate light, but with watercolor one builds colors on top of the blank white paper. Once that lightness or white is gone. it is hard to recapture -it can be a compelling process. The hues and combinations of colors are key to his art. In some areas he seems to have saturated the paper with multiple layers of color to the point that backgrounds turned purple or brown. They are contrasted by peach colors or faint lines and deep blue colors that make up his skies. His technique makes you think of light, and how when we look out towards the horizon it is difficult to assimilate into a painting. Though one may try, light and refraction plays a big part in the way we see light and color, and yet Gustave succeeds in this with his paintings.

In his book Gustav Moreau, Jean Selz explains that in Moreau’s attempt to explain his paintings he imbued them with greater meaning. By explaining his works with greater detail than could be seen. (Jean Selz, Gustave Moreau p.36) I was engrossed in learning more about his work and when I visited France I made sure to visit his museum. In 2016 I visited Paris, France and visited the Gustave Moreau Museum. Moreau’s most famous paintings are found in this museum, his former studio. His whole studio seems to have been an attempt at explaining the process of making art. When you walk up the wooden stairs of the building and enter it as if the whole space is a library to the process of his artwork. 

Entering the three story studio is like entering his mind as an artist that from the outside does not seem to be significant. Once inside you see the art he created and the artifacts that helped him create his new paintings. Leaving behind sketch books, incomplete paintings, framed sketches, a library of reference books from all over the world. Everything inside is like a representation of what he considered art. He examined mythologies from Europe, but also of other countries. As you continue to look at his reference books you discover that he studied Buddhist art and the jewelry that decorated the personas were inspired by them. Inside glass cases you find marble hands and feet that most likely served as reference to his works.

A recurring theme of his are the chimera found in many of his paintings. Chimera can mean illusion, dreams or the seeking of things that might not be there. When you visit his museum you see before your eyes the different manifestations of illusions and dreams. In some aspects of understanding one can say that life is a dream, but also that dreams are what make us humans. After carefully looking at one of his most famous paintings I began to wonder if it was a representation of an ancient Maya stela imbued with all its ornaments and jewelry and its symbols undecipherable. 

As you continue to explore, some of the framed paintings seem to be sketches and appear incomplete. Taking a step back I think of all the ancient art that exists today. All that is left is the stone artifact, its color faded and no longer visible, yet it still is a piece of workmanship and it is art. The illusion or dream that Moreau was trying to encapsulate can only be appreciated by visiting the museum. It is there where you get a hint of what he was attempting to do- to encapsulate humanity into symbols that were cross-cultural, the symbol of life and people's thoughts, dreams, goals and illusions.

One need not worry about reading his notes on his paintings. Even if it revealed his worries and thoughts about what he wanted to encapsulate on canvas. What he managed to paint is something that is very much along the lines as one of those songs that one likes to listen to over and over. There is a connection in this case with his creation and the outside which still happens even today. Some might ask, well, what is so special about that, and I say that the same concerns that people back in his day had still exist today. Though the symbols used today are slightly different, there is that concern of whether this life is a dream or not. Moreau created works of art, but also explained what the intended message of his works were. Furthermore, his whole studio was an affirmation that art is a process, it was left as proof of how we must be open to ideas, and that process is influenced by everything around us. 

We are the creators of our destiny and we choose how to define the forces around us, and we can recreate the meanings of these forces as a means to create art. The artist, at times is a prophet and at other times a jester too. In order to appreciate the scope of Gustave Moreau’s art one must experience his art, read about his art, and pay a visit to the place that houses his art. Returning to my initial introduction of his work through Roberto Bolano’s 2666. The characters in that book are also living in a world where cultural traditions play a role in the storylines, but these traditions are also challenged. His characters ultimately make independent choices and attempt to recreate their world in a world that is both filled with traditions, myths, sacred, irreverence, lies and mundane symbolism. Maybe, by him talking about Moreau is his novel and having the art cover be his makes Bolano’s novel more compelling and a testament to the power of art.