Yesterday Lynn, Lulu and I spent the afternoon in the studio in East Boston. We completed 10 more collages which brings us up to 35 in all. We have decided that it would be interesting to open the process to other artists as well. My studio mate Melissa has become intrigued with our project, and we invited her to make a collage. The only "rule" is to use 1 page of the book -- using at least part of the page -- and the 5" x7" vellum paper we are using. We are curious to see what she comes up with.
Lucy was in New Orleans, but says that she has found some wonderful ephemera in second hand shops down there. What will she return with?
Lynn just received her copy of War and Peace as edited by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, so will start her way through this "large loose and baggy monster".
Lulu and I actually met in Russian class in college, and neither of us has studied the language in well over 25 years. We are both beginning to engage with the text in Russian. I was thrilled that I could read the following sentence yesterday -- "Natasha, he said, you know I love you, but...". Lynn reads and speaks French, and since 2% of the book is in French, that certainly comes in handy as well.
In an appendix, Tolstoy comments, "it is not a novel, still less an epic poem, still less a historical chronicle. War and Peace is what the author wanted and was able to express, in he form in which it is expressed. Such a declaration of the author's disregard of the conventional forms of artist prose might seem presumptous, if were premeditated and if it has no previous examples." I could say the same about this project -- what it is not. We are not necessarily responding to the text, we are a loose group, we don't know where this will take us, it is not an installation piece and we don't know how the final form will take place. Just a blog? a book? a show?
We are working, we are playing, we are loving, we are happy to be doing this together. -- Lola
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Yes, I was also struck by Tolstoy's comments, and it easily applies to this project - it is and is going to be exactly what it needs to be in the form that it takes; it is and will be what we need to express, and in the form we need to express it. Through this project, Lola's inspiration, we are delving into collage artform (new for me!); re-connecting with language and ideas through which we originally connected in college but perhaps haven't thought too much about since; and reconnecting and deepening a friendship that began nearly 30 (whoa!) years ago. So, perhaps we won't really know what this project is about or where it's going until we get there! As Jane confesses to Marya (about her feelings for Nikolai) "…mais cette douce amitié, ces relations poétiques et si pures ont été un besoin pour mon coeur…" ("...but this sweet friendship, this relationship so poetic and so pure, is the need of my heart...") Perhaps this project, this friendship right now is the need of our hearts. --Lulu
Lola Baltzell
page 17-18 of original text
made 12/30/09
collage, ink and acrylic paint on paper
In Volume I, Part I, Chapter VI, the narrator says, "In the best, the friendliest and simplest relations, flattery or praise is necessary, just as grease is necessary to keep wheels turning." A more elegant way of saying, "flattery gets you everywhere". -- Lola
More from Prince Andrei: "egoism, vanity, dull-wittedness, triviality in everything -- that's women, when they show themselves as they are." Excuse me? -- Lola
In Volume I, Part I, Chapter VI, Prince Andrei says to Pierre, "Never, never marry, my friend... marry when you're old and good for nothing... otherwise all that's good and lofty in you will be lost". Strong words there! Prince Andrei prefers to go into the army, rather than remain with his pregnant wife. 
On Friday we began to use the German text that another artist gave to me. The book I had received in the mail a few days ago. I had torn out a page and glued it down, when Lynn took a closer look at the book. On the title page was the date 1784. It is obviously really, really old -- but could it be that old? Lynn began to question whether it could be an antique? Worth money? Something that should be left intact? I felt so guilty. When I do collage with kids, they feel a mixture of guilt and pleasure as they tear up books. I felt sheer guilt. The artist who gave it to me told me that he got it -- actually a whole series of 7 books -- from a used book dealer friend of his. I wonder if we should have someone else look at, to determine what it really is? Neither of us read classical German so I don't even know the title. 
Team Tolstoy consisted of just Lynn and I yesterday. Lulu had a family emergency and Lucy was traveling. We have now completed 50 collages. At the beginning the project seemed daunting, to make 800. Now it almost seems as if it's going too fast. I so enjoy the whole thing. Every aspect of it. 
In Part I, Chapter V, Prince Andrei says, "If everyone made war only according to his own convictions, there would be no war". That got me thinking -- is that really true? The US first invaded Afghanistan in 2002, then Iraq in 2003. It was called "Operation Freedom", right? Allegedly we invaded as the whole world was under high threat of their "weapons of mass destruction". Which turned out to be no threat at all. All on flimsy evidence. How many people have died to date? I can only speculate at the motivation of each soldier, but did they sign up for their own convictions?
How many people live in a neighborhood that boasts a Russian bookstore? I happen to. I went there tonight to pick up a copy of War and Peace in Russian for Lulu. She is going to take on the completely mind-blowing project of reading the English and Russian books side by side. I can barely read a sentence. That rocks!
A few weeks ago Lynn and I got really into yellow. So a number of them are in that color family. It is interesting to see how the series progresses in terms of color and the ephemera that we choose.
This one is definitely Lynn's. I love the angel!
Good thing that we are labeling the back of each collage with artist, page number and date, because already I can't remember if Lynn or I made this one. It was at this point in the project that Lynn joined. We tease other about who has the more whacky sense of color and design -- all in good fun. We enjoy trying to imitate each other from time to time. That's part of our process, working side by side, to play off of each other.
Yesterday Lynn, Lulu and I spent the afternoon in the studio in East Boston. We completed 10 more collages which brings us up to 35 in all. We have decided that it would be interesting to open the process to other artists as well. My studio mate Melissa has become intrigued with our project, and we invited her to make a collage. The only "rule" is to use 1 page of the book -- using at least part of the page -- and the 5" x7" vellum paper we are using. We are curious to see what she comes up with. 
Henry James famously described "War and Peace" as a "large loose baggy monster". Maybe that's an apt description of this project. Although I don't like the word "monster". Perhaps another word will come to mind as we move forward. -- Lola
One of my big pleasures in life is reading a book in bed. Definitely at night before sleep, but sometimes in the morning, drinking coffee. That is the most delicious time. I started the introduction last night and was swept back in time, to when I was a Russian major in college. One semester we tackled "Anna Karenina" as well as "War and Peace". Maybe a few of his short stories as well. The book is so big that is somewhat clumsy to maneuver. A book to read sitting up, not lying down. 
I picked up my new copy of "War and Peace" tonight at the local bookstore, the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky which was published in 2007. I chatted with Evan, the young man behind the counter and told him about this project. He is working his way through Tolstoy and hopes to culminate with "War and Peace". He promised to check out this blog and post a comment. Our first reader! Lulu texted today to say that she is on page 54. Lynn is going to read this new translation, as is Lucy. 
I made the first 6 collages. This one was made 12/28/09. It is from page 10, the first page of "War and Peace". When I began this project, I wasn't all that committed to it. I was between major projects and kind of noodling around with ideas. On this particular piece I used a map from Morocco, text from a religious pamphlet, dictionary and wallpaper from Mark's house where he grew up. The opening paragraph of "War and Peace" starts in French with a discussion about Napoleon. Lynn read in a review that 2% of the book is written in French. -- Lola
