Plains and planes of Carcassonne

The plains and planes of Carcassonne

“The people of Crete unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally.” This passage from “Saki”, the Edwardian writer of sardonic, sometimes cruel, but always witty, short stories, kept popping into my head during a short visit to the area North-East of Carcassonne in South-West France.

Giacometti; Venice Biennale 2017

Giacometti at Tate Modern; Venice Biennale 2017

Giacometti

One can understand why the existentialists liked Giacometti. His schtick is stick people; and what art could be more eloquent about the fragility, almost Nothingness of Being (Le Neant in Sartre’s phrase), yet still suggesting movement and thereby human potential? Survivors of concentration camp and gulag, but striding rather than staggering.