Carlo Suarès
Encyclopedia
Carlo Giuseppe Suarès was a French writer, painter and Kabbalah
author. He was born the 12 May 1892 in Alexandria, Egypt. The ancestors of his Sepharad Jewish family had been expelled from Spain in 1492 and found refuge in Italy before immigrating to Egypt. He died in Paris the 16 July 1976.
in Paris. His studies were interrupted by an illness and had to return to Egypt to take care of an Endocarditis
. In 1914, his younger brother died. In 1915, under the belief he carried the French nationality, Suarès received his order of mobilization by the country of Italy. However, He did not enlist for one year due to his illness. He served from 1916 to 1918 in the Artillery. After the war, he returned to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and obtained a Degree in architecture in 1920.
On December 12, 1922, he married Nadine Tilche. Carlo studied etching in Florence with Celestino Celestini. In 1923, he established a bond of friendship with Jiddu Krishnamurti
which will last for 40 years. Between 1920 and 1924, he practiced architecture in Cairo, in Alexandria and in Jaffa.
From 1928 to 1939, Carlo Suarès, in collaboration with Mme de Manziarly published and co-edited in Paris “Les Cahiers de l’Etoile”, a monthly review. Publications included texts from Joe Bousquet
, Le Corbusier
, Krishnamurti, Benjamin Fondane
. This was the beginning of a long correspondence with Joë Bousquet.
In 1929, L’Homme et le Moi Selon Krishnamurti was published in Paris.
Carlo Suarès wrote a number of literary critiques, several volumes, such as Le Mythe Judéo-Chrétien, Krishnamurti et l’Unité Humaine, which Suarès translated into French and many other translations into French of Krishnamurt’s talks and writings. In 1930, he published La Nouvelle Création, an essay written as a response to a query on the «pacte avec le diable» launched in the Volume 2 of the René Daumal’s “Grand Jeu“ publication.
A collaborative exchange of notes with René Daumal and Joë Bousquet for the publication of an essay on «dialectique du moi» was published under the title of "La Comédie Psychologique". Most of this correspondence was published in 1955, as a preamble to Critique de la Raison Impure. When the publication of Cahiers de l’Etoile stopped, it is in the Carnets mensuels that La fin du Grand Mythe was published.
In 1945, Suarès started to write again and among his more notable works are: Critique de la Raison Impure, La Kabale des Kabales, De Quelques Apprentis-Sorciers, and the Qabala Trilogy: The Cipher of Genesis, The Song of Songs, and The Sepher Yetzira
(Shambhala Publication Inc.). As a writer and philosopher Carlo Suarès spent forty years of his life studying the Qabala.
Suarès’ paintings previous to 1958 are figurative. Some are of African inspiration (somewhat surrealistic). Some are inspired by the Bible, other are compositions. Many of these paintings are in Egypt at present.
In 1958 Suarès suddenly realized that his painting and his Qabala were just two aspects of his one aim in life: the rebirth of creative spontaneity. In painting, according to him, this means a special projection or color as light, arranged in such a way as to arouse in the eyes of the spectator a movement, both in width and in depth, and thereby help the psyche in its inner investigations.
Such an art is obviously bound to eliminate every figure, even geometrical. Suarès thus hopes that his painting will be a contribution to the great spiritual values, (religious, in the deepest sense of the word) which lie in non-figurative painting.
In Egypt during the war, Carlo Suarès devoted himself to painting.
Following Mrs. Friend’s death, the remaining paintings were brought back to Paris.
Standing in Paris are approximately 150 oils belonging to the first figurative period, shipped for the exhibition before confiscation by the Egyptian government of all personal belongings, including more than 100 oils. Also, 300 non-figurative oils painted in Pairs; a series of 20 called “l’Art du Chromatisme”, illustrating the “Hyperbole Chromatique”, and 150 drawings and water colors.
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
author. He was born the 12 May 1892 in Alexandria, Egypt. The ancestors of his Sepharad Jewish family had been expelled from Spain in 1492 and found refuge in Italy before immigrating to Egypt. He died in Paris the 16 July 1976.
Biography
Between 1910 and 1914, he studied at the École des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris. His studies were interrupted by an illness and had to return to Egypt to take care of an Endocarditis
Endocarditis
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves . Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or even on intracardiac devices...
. In 1914, his younger brother died. In 1915, under the belief he carried the French nationality, Suarès received his order of mobilization by the country of Italy. However, He did not enlist for one year due to his illness. He served from 1916 to 1918 in the Artillery. After the war, he returned to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and obtained a Degree in architecture in 1920.
On December 12, 1922, he married Nadine Tilche. Carlo studied etching in Florence with Celestino Celestini. In 1923, he established a bond of friendship with Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
which will last for 40 years. Between 1920 and 1924, he practiced architecture in Cairo, in Alexandria and in Jaffa.
The Writer
Between 1926 and 1927, while in Alexandria Suarès published and co-edited with Elian J. Finbert “Messages d’Orient”, a Review on Eastern and Far-Eastern matters. In 1928, he published in Paris Sur un Orgue de Barbarie.From 1928 to 1939, Carlo Suarès, in collaboration with Mme de Manziarly published and co-edited in Paris “Les Cahiers de l’Etoile”, a monthly review. Publications included texts from Joe Bousquet
Joë Bousquet
Joë Bousquet was a French poet.Wounded on May 27, 1918 at Vailly near the Aisne battlelines at the end of the First World War, he was paralysed for the rest of his life, and lived a life largely bedridden, surrounded by his books...
, Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
, Krishnamurti, Benjamin Fondane
Benjamin Fondane
Benjamin Fondane or Benjamin Fundoianu was a Romanian and French poet, critic and existentialist philosopher, also noted for his work in film and theater. Known from his Romanian youth as a Symbolist poet and columnist, he alternated Neoromantic and Expressionist themes with echoes from Tudor...
. This was the beginning of a long correspondence with Joë Bousquet.
In 1929, L’Homme et le Moi Selon Krishnamurti was published in Paris.
Carlo Suarès wrote a number of literary critiques, several volumes, such as Le Mythe Judéo-Chrétien, Krishnamurti et l’Unité Humaine, which Suarès translated into French and many other translations into French of Krishnamurt’s talks and writings. In 1930, he published La Nouvelle Création, an essay written as a response to a query on the «pacte avec le diable» launched in the Volume 2 of the René Daumal’s “Grand Jeu“ publication.
A collaborative exchange of notes with René Daumal and Joë Bousquet for the publication of an essay on «dialectique du moi» was published under the title of "La Comédie Psychologique". Most of this correspondence was published in 1955, as a preamble to Critique de la Raison Impure. When the publication of Cahiers de l’Etoile stopped, it is in the Carnets mensuels that La fin du Grand Mythe was published.
In 1945, Suarès started to write again and among his more notable works are: Critique de la Raison Impure, La Kabale des Kabales, De Quelques Apprentis-Sorciers, and the Qabala Trilogy: The Cipher of Genesis, The Song of Songs, and The Sepher Yetzira
Sefer Yetzirah
Sefer Yetzirah is the title of the earliest extant book on Jewish esotericism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to Kabbalah...
(Shambhala Publication Inc.). As a writer and philosopher Carlo Suarès spent forty years of his life studying the Qabala.
The Painter
From then until 1939, while living partly in France and partly in Egypt, saw several of his books published. In 1940, being in Egypt and considering his career as a writer to be finished, he turned to painting for research into composition of light, which he expressed by using turquoise blue and rose mauve as the basic colors of his palette. It took him fifteen years of intense work to master his new technique. During this period he wrote his essay on painting L’Hyperbole Chromatique (the Chromatic Hyperbola), was published in 1957 and translated into English soon after.Suarès’ paintings previous to 1958 are figurative. Some are of African inspiration (somewhat surrealistic). Some are inspired by the Bible, other are compositions. Many of these paintings are in Egypt at present.
In 1958 Suarès suddenly realized that his painting and his Qabala were just two aspects of his one aim in life: the rebirth of creative spontaneity. In painting, according to him, this means a special projection or color as light, arranged in such a way as to arouse in the eyes of the spectator a movement, both in width and in depth, and thereby help the psyche in its inner investigations.
Such an art is obviously bound to eliminate every figure, even geometrical. Suarès thus hopes that his painting will be a contribution to the great spiritual values, (religious, in the deepest sense of the word) which lie in non-figurative painting.
1939-45
In Egypt during the war, Carlo Suarès devoted himself to painting.
- One-man exhibition in Cairo
- Two in Alexandria
- Oils in Cairo, Alexandria, São Paulo (Brazil) museums
- Paintings sold to different collections
1946-58 in Paris
One-man exhibitions:- Galeries Ariel, 2 consecutive years
- Galeries Colette Allendy
- Galerie Suzanne de Coninck
- One oil acquired by Musée d’Art Moderne Paris 50x30 inches
1957
Wrote “l’Hyperbole Chromatique” (a grammar of painting), to explain his new synthesis of light. That test is well known in different European counties and has been reprinted by the official French Review “Couleurs”. It has recently been translated into English as: The Chromatic Hyperbola”.1958
The French government sends to Warsaw (Poland) one hundred paintings representative of French Art (one painting for each artist). One oil chosen and given an important place in the Catalogue.1962
Gallery Rose Freid, NY acquires a couple of paintings (some others left in deposit).Following Mrs. Friend’s death, the remaining paintings were brought back to Paris.
1965
Invited by the museum of Modern Art, Santa Barbara, California, for one-man exhibition. Sells in California about 10 paintings, oils and tempra.1963
Exhibition of black and white view of NY at the “Procope” in Paris.Standing in Paris are approximately 150 oils belonging to the first figurative period, shipped for the exhibition before confiscation by the Egyptian government of all personal belongings, including more than 100 oils. Also, 300 non-figurative oils painted in Pairs; a series of 20 called “l’Art du Chromatisme”, illustrating the “Hyperbole Chromatique”, and 150 drawings and water colors.