My Choice

I selected these paintings because they were among my favorites. I wish I could review all his work, but this is a pure dream and an “impossibility”. He produced more than 3,000 paintings. It would take me a life time to go through all his work. Besides, there are so many paintings of his that were lost or stolen. And nobody was held responsible, except of course Maximillien himself. For years, he did not take his art genius seriously. The world of art was his playground. A fantasy, a passé-temps, a trip to the unseen, an escapade and an illusion, yet he lived his illusion for years and shared its precious nostalgic moments with friends and less privileged people.

These 2 paintings slides were provided by Constance Ricard and the De La Croix Club Belgique. The Club has a great website about Maximillien de La Croix’s paintings in black and white.

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On the left, “GALACTICA”. This is definitely one of my favorites. Another great piece, courtesy of “THE ODESSA COLLECTION” Kiev, Ukraine. I think the folks there put up a new site on de La Croix’s tour to the countries of the former Soviet Union. Check it out, the address is: http://www.angelfire.com/trek/odessa_collection based in Odessa and Kiev, Ukraine Rep.

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Long time ago in Rome, I met Mr. De La Croix for the first time, I think. At that time, I believe he was a representative, a professor or a dean of an international legal seminar and study program for international lawyers organized by the University of Salzburg. It was quite strange for me to meet a cubist artist who was at the same time a practicing lawyer. I alaways believed that practicing law as a career and painting abstract art at the same time don’t go well together. I believed that, until I met Mr. De La Croix who was then an abstract artist and an attorney at law. I met him by coincidence at the Hotel Excelsior in Rome, Italy. At the beginning or our meeting, I did not know what to talk about because his fame and accomplishments preceded him. I was overwhelmed by his creativity and the amount of work he put in writing books and painting. It was a nice brief encounter and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is what we talked about, at least a part of it to the best of my recollection. Once, I began to feel more comfortable, I bombarded him with rounds and rounds of questions. Some questions were silly, others more substantial. This is a part of what we talked about in a very candid and friendly setting.

Q: Your favorite painters?

A- If do you mean abstract masters, then my favorites are Picasso, Braques, Malevich and Kandinsky. If you are talking about the Ultimate Masters, then I would list Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Titian, Boticelli, among many others, the list is endless. Go to the Louvres or Chapel Sixtinne, the walls and corridors are full of frescoes and masterpieces by unknown artists who in many instances surpassed the well-known masters we know today. Fame is not an indication of artistic quality and superior work. Fame is a product. A commodity. A stock share. Nothing more, nothing less.

Q: Your favorite poets?

A- Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Baudelaire.

Q: Your favorite writers?

A- Emile Zola, Pierre Loti, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, Alphonse Daudet.

Q: Your favorite composers?

A- Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Verdi.

Q: Your favorite political leaders?

A- None. They are one of the sources of all human tragedies.

Q: What makes you think?

A- Everything. Every whisper I hear in the wind. Every tree branch my eyes see. Every ocean wave I sail in. Every human face I look at. Every cry of an orphan child I hear. Every wild flower blooming in the valley. Each and every friend’s anniversary. What makes me think? Injustice, poverty, hunger, war, cold weather striking the bones of homeless people and the poor living in card-box houses on the streets…almost everything.

Q: What are the three thinks that impress you most?

A- Goodness of the heart, the brightness of the mind and the beauty of the smile of the woman I love.

Climbing the Staircase of Destiny, circa 1979

Q: Any regrets in life?

A- More than what you think. Your question reminds me of what once a social worker asked a French drunk about his drinking habit. She asked him “why are you drinking?”. The man replied “To forget”. The lady asked him again “To forget what?” And the man replied “I have already forgotten”. It means, I have a lot of regrets but, I do not regret anything or mourn for any financial losses, because I have already forgotten what brought sorrow to my heart.

Q: What are the three greatest virtues?

A- Generosity, forgiveness, unconditional love.

Q: What are the three greatest strengths?

A- Wisdom which the is culmination of knowledge and experience. Education which is based upon culture and quest for excellence. Self-confidence which is based on determination and self-respect.

Q: What are three greatest assets?

A- Your family, your friends, yourself.