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Werner Hofmann (1928-2013)

For his essay about one book that changed his life the Austrian art historian Werner Hofmann (1928-2013; picture: noever-design.com) did choose Rainer Maria Rilke’s Malte (and the whole of Rilke’s oeuvre). And recalling how he had taken his inspirations how to perceive, to see and how to feel from Rilke when being a young student in 1950 post-war Paris he also recalled and quoted the following entry (January 13) from his own diary (what follows is a translation of mine):

»This aftern. a weight-lifter had established himself in front of the Metro Villiers. Veteranly, with some photographs showing his muscles’ glory. Himself he was all grand gesture and very methodically in his performances to which he slowly got to, while he was demanding cigarettes. In all this a shocking moment, one does only experience if among people gets disturbed a fundamental bond. He asked the crowd amongst him to come closer; and in this very moment the majority of curious people brusquely turned away. For seconds he stood wondering, disconcerted and like etherized. This is how the lost son might have felt like. In such gestures lies a reason for a deep disgust for mankind. He felt the judgement spoken and for a moment his eyes were filled with grief, amounting to that of my Gilles.«

Notes and links:

(Picture: Guillaume Jacquet)

The World Weightlifting Championships took place in Paris in 1950, but only later that year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_World_Weightlifting_Championships).

For an impression of 1950 Paris see this photograph at Christie’s: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/photographs/edouard-boubat-paris-1950-5600394-details.aspx

Werner Hofmann might have visited the Asian art Musée Cernuschi close to the Métro Villiers. To the right we show one example from this museum’s collection.

And Gilles is being called Pierrot now. See: http://www.louvre.fr/oeuvre-notices/pierrot-dit-autrefois-gilles

Finally: For Werner Hofmann’s essay see: http://books.google.ch .

(Picture: FiP)

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