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Sangha 2005-2006 Jacques-Léon Charrier was born in France in 1959. After an eclectic professional background enriched by numerous sojourns in Asia , he began painting in 1995. Using personal techniques based on watercolours, acrylics and ink, the self-taught artists treats various themes inspired by his own experiences. His work offers a glimpse of the world through the lens of the human panorama, an exploration of human destiny as exemplified by the individual as a member of society. Moved by his awareness of society's global insanity, conformity and irreverence, Jacques Charrier focuses on how the Buddhist quest for individual wisdom represents a noble path to collective salvation. The exhibition SANGHA expresses his doubts regarding seeking the Buddhist way through its clergy. SANGHAMy work, titled SANGHA , explores the effects of time on the original Buddhist doctrine. SANGHA is composed of eight complementary series of paintings entitled respectively: “Sangha”, “The Salvation Army”, “Vexations” “Impermanence”, “Duality”, “Passion”, “The United Colors of Buddhism” and “Vacuity”. The work focuses on the monastic aspect of Buddhism and expresses doubts inspired by the collective dimension of the search for Buddhist Truth. The paintings in each of the eight series depict monks, the quintessential symbols of Buddhism since its origins. They underline the contradiction between the intense glorification of monkhood (and by extension religious rituals) and the original doctrine which was based entirely on the individual's rational search for Truth. Created by men inspired by the same passions, these events necessarily have the same results. N. Machiavelli The series “ Sangha ” focuses on the relational aspects inherent in communal life. Monks are represented on large and narrow strips evoking antique temple friezes. The compositions illustrate the range of feelings, behaviour and attitudes that can emerge within a group. The portrayal of the monks is reminiscent of antique statuary and underlines the sacred and unalterable quality of the monastic institution. This gives the statue-like figures a timeless and semi celestial aspect. This impression, enhanced by the deliberate eroticism, emphasizes the need of those who cannot sustain the effort of walking alone on the path set out by the Master to ‘sacralize'. They thus sink into primitive devotion through their obscure and uncontrollable desires. In “Sangha” the monks are presented on a gold-silver background which symbolizes the awakening to “Knowledge” and the unalterable Truth attainable through Buddhist study. The contrasting surfaces (matte and shiny) mark the boundaries between human materialism, the thirst for eternity, and the need for anthropomorphic deities versus the universe of pure reason, perceptivity and the absolute detachment of primitive Buddhist theory. “All our pain comes from not being able to be alone” Jean de la Bruyère The second series, “The Salvation Army” , underlines the paradox between the need to create a Buddhist order (The Sangha) and the essence of the doctrine itself. Here the monks are arranged like tightly ranked troops of marching soldiers. Their uniformity suggests blind acceptance of commandments and dogma. The needs to adhere to a supreme authority and to religious precepts are weakness condemned by Buddha. Obedience and blind faith in the commandments runs counter to a doctrine based on a personal search for Truth. “ Have no faith in traditions, even though they are honoured in many places for generations; have no faith in the sages of yore; do not imagine that your inspiration derives from any God. Do not believe in the sole authority of your masters or priests. Examine continually and believe only what you have experienced and accepted as reasonable; believe only what corresponds to your well-being and the well-being of others.” (Extract from Kalâmâ Sutta.) Therefore Buddhism is not a dogma and Buddhist salvation cannot be attained through conformism. The use of light in these paintings (oblique and grazing) expresses the notion that those guided by gregarious instincts can miss out on the search for Truth. Even the title, “The Salvation Army,” conveys a hint of irony. “From he who raised high the standard of human reason they have made an idol, a divinity similar to the Brahman gods, and incense burns and flowers accumulate in front of the statues of the Master who condemned the foolishness of religious ritual!.. .” Alexandra David-Néel The series ‘Vexations” highlights Buddhist ritual. The symbol chosen here is the religious devotee who had attained Buddhahood. This image is a modern interpretation of the classic statuary. Partially illuminated visages of Buddhas peer out from background darkness. The multiplicity of faces evokes the plurality of the holy images as seen in pagodas and temples; it suggests the repetition of rituals and the merit the faithful seek to accumulate. The Buddha foresaw that the large majority of people would not understand his teachings, yet he unequivocally blamed superstition, religious ceremony and rituals, as one of the ten “links” a disciple must break. Buddhist theories categorically eliminate everything that constitutes the sex appeal of popular religions: the decor, the scenery, the commerce and the sentiment. They reject the superstitions that underpin and attract the crowd. Agnostic, the Buddhist teachings aim only at reason. Its rituals are study and meditation, Its salvation is a strictly intellectual quest. The body is image M. Toemsombat By accumulating identical portraits of monks dressed with multicolored robes, the series “The United Colors of Buddhism” underlines the weakness of the addiction to formal distinctions and sectarian schools. Buddhist studies and meditation leads to acknowledge the illusion of the personality: personality which is dissolved in a total and global understanding of the phenomenal world and its inherent vacuity. Like snow upon the Desert's dusty Face Lighting a little hour or two, is gone! The series “Impermanence” draws its inspiration from the Buddhist iconography observed on the doors of some pagodas that represents legendary episodes in the life of the Buddha. This series spotlights the transitoriness of life and subjectivity of History: scenes of contemporary life, illustrated in ancient style (black and gold color) appear on the doors of pagodas in a hypothetical future. A monk in traditional dress passes in front of a door. His robe, painted here with golden sheen, symbolizes his position in society and puts him partially inside the composition. The series underlines the paradox of attachment to ancient symbols within the rationality of Buddhist doctrine. The “Impermanence” series questions the evolution of any doctrinal message, its alterations, idealistic interpretations and ‘sacralization'. If Buddhism is a purely scientific search for Truth, can it be analyzed diachronically? An ocean of vacuity… The series Duality underlines one of the main aspect of the essence of Buddhist knowledge: a vision of the reality liberated from the layers of ignorance and from the interpretations and the conditioning of the mind. By changing the orientation of the paintings it appears that the characters, painted here with silver watercolor, are walking either to the light or to the darkness. These series recalls the non-dual nature of Buddhist thinking and the inherent vacuity of all things. "If you meet a Buddha, kill him." Chiensieou “Passion” shows characters arrayed behind an invisible and empty table, like in a scene from the traditional Last Supper in Christian religious art. The central character embodies a Master, the others are the disciples. The implicit question remains unspoken: Which magical formula, which symbolic ritual, which faith in divine providence, which answer to metaphysical questions can disciples of a Buddha reasonably expect? Here the evocation of an animist religion highlights the particularity of the Buddhist philosophy. No revelation from a divinity to humans, no allusion to a superhuman power, no promise of supernatural help appear in the teachings of Buddha. Buddhism is a combat between man and his suffering, a battle that man must fight alone and that he can only win by human means. The only rule is that anything contrary to reason cannot be considered as part of the Master's doctrine. “Thirty spokes join together in a single hub “Vacuity” can be considered as a synthesis of the work. The key of this piece remains in the quotation above from the Tao Te King. “While scholars we might well be from other's knowledge, at least wise we can only be from our own wisdom” Michel de Montaigne
I do not intend to my work to proselytize. “Sangha” constitutes several series of questions born from studying primitive Buddhist philosophy and observing its religious interpretations in several countries through rituals, traditions and art. The fact that only monks appear in all series with eyes closed underlines how the current religious interpretation only partially encompasses the Buddha's philosophy. As an example, there was no sexism in the Buddha's teachings. The presence of women in this exhibition will be embodied by the voice of Marie Kerouz in the background music on the day of the opening. Jacques-Léon Charrier Editing assistance by Jennifer |
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