In 1992 Pierre Bataille was a guest at our home in Northridge at the time that his The Mayflower and The Invincible Armada were on display at the Los Angeles Health and Life Expo. Being a creative spirit, he kept himself busy. One of his projects was to carve a sign for our Super Blue-Green Algae business.
I had a vegetarian poem and asked Pierre if he could create a graphic so
that I could make a T-shirt. This inspired Pierre to sketch several
designs of a vegetarian nature. Also, that year one was celebrating
the Quintcentennial of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
He designed a sketch that could be used as a basis for a wood carving.
I decided to color it. At the same time a Bicentennial celebrating the
composer, Mozart, inspired Pierre to create several designs with a humorous musical
theme. To see these designs, click on the links below:
VEGETARIAN
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
MUSIC
INDIAN
MAYFLOWER
These designs suggested a line of T-shirts to be called Bataille Originals. They would be promoted as a line of designs by the famous French Sculptor, Pierre Bataille, which transfer his talent from bas Relief in oak of great historical moments of history which are so monumental in scope that they can be viewed only in museums or on the walls of wealthy collectors or reception halls of international business organizations to the modern world of fashion at its most popular level---the American T-shirt.
The artist's skill and sense of humor are readily apparent in the way he presents his subject, be it "Vegetarian", in the "We don't eat DOGS!", "Musical" as in "Mozart" or "Historical" in the case of the "Mayflower". His bold and simple strokes are in the best traditions of the classical period and are a pleasure to look at over and over again. Understatement of the most powerful kind which is so subtle as to be passed over first but so powerful as to leave a lasting impression upon the viewer who truly looks at it.
Tom Curtis