Wall and Fire Sculpture, Krefeld, 1961
Yves Klein, the first postmodern alchemist, will have announced through fiery symbology the acceleration of the future toward apocatastasis, the surmounting of hell's fires and the vertigo of apocalypse. Yves sensed the optimistic dimesion that his work was going to take in the world of futurological truths and the history of art in becoming.
His friend Andre' wrote a poem for him which expresses well this serene, purifying projection of Yves Klein the being:
"O lightening planets and rockets
By fire and by water
Yves Klein crusader
Opposite and against all
By a single jet purifies
The space of the painting
By fire and by water
In the great flaming blaze
Of the constellated void
Yves Klein reconstructs
The virgin iris of the eye
By fire and by water
Yves Klein crusader
Passes through the blue of the flame
Original cleanser
History of the painting
O lightening suns and dew."
Poem by Andre' Verdet, May l962
This poem made Yves so happy that he decided to engrave it with red fire on a water and fire painting. He made two preliminary tests, which he sent to Verdet on June 2, l962, four days that is before his death.
(all of the above by Pierre Restany)