YOLANDA AND HYPPOLYTHE SERIES
In the Yolanda and Hippolythe series we follow a young couple around the world to discover the beauty and the wonders of the planet.
Yolanda and Hippolythe in Tirgu Jiu sees them in the Romanian town of Tirgu Jiu where the “ never ending column “ of famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi is erected.
Yolanda and Hippolythe travel to Egypt to look at the sphinx. Many years ago I was flying over the pyramids and the sphinx and it was such an awe inspiring view that I got very interested in pyramidology. The sphinx is the largest sculpture in the world and new research has proven that the sphinx is most likely way older ( 10 000 years ) than the current opinion believes ( 4 000 years ). I believe that the sphinx is the greatest enigma in the world and holds the key to the history of mankind.
Yolanda and Hippolythe with man in the air is a homage to the great American Jazz singer Kurt Elling who wrote the lyrics and the music to his song “ man in the air “.
Yolanda and Hippolythe meet Zarathustra with the eagle and the snake, the symbols of power and wisdom. Zarathustra is a brainchild of Friedrich Nietzsche in his oeuvre “ Thus spoke Zarathustra “. I am a huge fan of the poet and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Yolanda and Hippolythe travel to easter island, the most remote island in the world and home to the “ Moai “‘ giant stone sculptures made by unknown people for unknown purposes. This island is home to the leftovers of a lost culture.
Yolanda and Hyppolythe with Siddharta. As a young man I read Hermann Hesses’s famous book Siddharta. In the 1970ies I travelled numerous times to far east Asia to learn about Buddhist culture.
I still have a collection of Buddha statues and I love the calm and peaceful expression of the sculptures, especially if you compare the Buddha depiction to the symbol of christianity, a suffering Jesus on the cross.
I did Yolanda and Hippolythe with Pierrot, which is a stock character of pantomime and came to France in the late 17th century by the Comedie Italienne. Pierrot is the sad clown and appeared on stage, in artwork and in literature, in short he became an alter ego for the artist.
Hippolythe is coming for Yolanda’s emotional rescue as her knight in shining armor, but he is not coming on a fine Arab charger but with another wild beast, a Porsche 911 ( modern version of the knight in shining armor ).
Yolanda and Hippolythe with the flying carpet man. As a kid I loved stories from the orient, one of which was one thousand and one nights. A magic carpet or a flying carpet is a legendary carpet that can be used to transport people who are on it, right away to their destination.
Yolanda and Hippolythe in Palenque.
I love Mexican culture and artwork, this etching depicts an actual stone fresco from Palenque.
Yolanda and Hippolythe with the prophet contains the prophet, which is a famous painting by my favourite painter, Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico, the creator of the “ pittura metafisica “.
Yolanda’s and Hippolythe’s tour of the world is not over yet.
I am in the process of more etchings, for example Y.& H. with Che Guevara, Y.& H en fin de siecle, Y.& H. in Kioto, Y.& H. visiting Keith Haring and I am sure I will find more interesting places to visit with Y.& H. and let them meet more interesting people.
Peter Mennacher, August 2012
