Candide by Voltaire, artist Art Hazelwood
Published in 1759, Candide was
denounced by both church and state. In its first year the
Great Council of Geneva and the administrators of Paris had
banned it and the book
succeeded in selling 20,000–30,000 copies. In 1762, Candide
was listed in the Catholic Church's list of prohibited books.
Art Hazelwood created this book for the exhibition Banned
and Recovered at the San Francisco Center for the Book, 2008.
The book opens to reveal Candide and Cunegonde kissing behind
a screen of roses in the castle where they both grew up – “The
Best of All Possible Worlds.” Thus begins the story of all the
tragedies of their lives. When the accordion folds are pulled out a
trail of rape, murder, inquisition, thievery, slavery and sea battles
is presented. In the very center a peaceful scene of Candide in Eldorado:
a place where people live in peace, a momentary respite from the insanity
of European expansion and colonization. Along the bottom of the imagery
is text from the book with the final bit of wisdom discovered after
all the disasters, “We must cultivate our own gardens.”
Candide or Optimism, 2008, edition of 15, screenprint,
closed size: 7 3/8” x 12 1/2” x 1/2”, open
size 7 1/4” x 72”, binding: gate fold hardcover,
cover paper: various, marbled endpapers,
thirteen pages, book body paper: Lana Cover White. edition is sold out. One copy is available from Warnock Fine Arts. Inquire for availability.
For a database of illustrated books of Voltaire take a look at this
site
put together at Trier University in Germany by librarian Hans-Ulrich
Seifert
http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/ausstellung/candide/default.htm
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