A Personal Artistic Impression Of Marion Bartoli
Readers may have noticed that I have created new sidebar motifs. Nothing flashy, just something I enjoy doing in those quiet periods when Marion isn’t in competition.
The motif itself is comprised of a specialist font by Art Nouveau architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and a painting by American 20th century artist Georgia O’Keeffe. More will follow.
There can be no question about the suitability of tennis as a subject for art. Indeed tennis legend Martina Navratilova recently collaborated with Czech artist Juro Kralik to create a selection of works celebrating the four grand slams.
One of the things that Marion likes to do with her leisure time is paint. Her favorite artist is Picasso, and she once gave away one of her own paintings to a tournament official as a thank you.
I havent seen any of Marion’s own artwork, but I certainly see artwork through her. A muse. A hero. And just an ordinary girl like you or I.
Art is the study of contradictions such as these.
Rather unfairly, some have referred to Marion as her fathers guinea pig (Cobaye Corse). The subject of his tennis experiments. But it could equally be said that his dear daughter is something of his own artwork.
Inspired by Monica Seles at Roland Garros in 1992, he took his little daughter and sculpted a Wimbledon finalist, French number 1, and top 10 player. Dr. Bartoli's own tennis craft hewn out of official rejection and alternative insight. The man thinks out of the box - Bartolicraft.
Same place, 15 years later I see the artwork. Inspired I join the forum at old Tennis Palace. The rest is l’histoire.
So what is it that I see? Without indulging hyperbole, I want to talk of one artwork that reminds me of Marion. The work doesnt qualify on grounds of chocolate box prettyness after all it's a scene of revolutionary carnage, the artwork qualifies on the simple fact that it’s one of several that remind me of Marion in the way that it looks similar to our athlete in action, and the meaning that lies behind it all.
The painting is called Liberty Leading The People and is by French artist Eugene Delacroix. It’s very famous and I’m sure will be familiar to readers from France.
The moment I saw the photo that the Marion Bartoli Fan Blog banner is made from, I felt it would work well as a banner. It immediately made me think of Delacroix’s painting.
The movement, the horsetail wave in Marion’s mane, the Prince racquet raised like a rifle, the muscular abstract figures in the background that comprise the Stanford bear logo, and of course the red and white of Marion’s brilliant Nike outfit set against the blue backdrop, as if representative of the French tricolore. It may not have been intentional, but even Maria Sharapova couldn’t have choreographed it better!
Now turning to the painting, according to Wikipedia, (Delacroix’s)
‘painting depicts Liberty, personified by Marianne, symbol of the nation, as both an allegorical goddess-figure and a robust woman of the people.
Two "Mariannes" were authorised: one is fighting and victorious, recalling the Greek goddess Athena. She has a bare breast, the Phrygian cap and a red corsage, and has the arm lifted in a gesture of rebellion. The other one is more conservative: she is rather quiet, wears Antiquity clothes, with sun rays around her head.’
The names, Marianne, Marion, Mary, are themselves all variations of the ancient Hebrew Maryam or Miriam.
As for how the painting corresponds to the banner, the visual comparisons are obvious to me; the abstract figures analogous with the rebel crowd, the rifle and flag pole like the racquet held aloft, the flow of Marianne’s clothing and bust similar to that of Marion's own flowing motion. A strong voluptuous Marianne leading revolt against tyrannical authority, and a strong voluptuous Marion rebelling against French tennis officialdom with every tour victory she has.
Competition and leadership is in Marion Bartoli's blood. We all know how aggressive her hitting can be on court. Asked what career she would have followed if she hadn’t been a tennis pro,
“Probably a minister in the Government”, she said, “I always wanted to be at the top. I always wanted to be the person giving the orders, not the one taking them."
And yet in the very same interview the domestic quieter conservative side comes through, saying,
"When I finish I want to have a normal job, a normal life, to see my husband, to see my kids growing up."
Maybe Marion was somewhat tailoring her responses for a broadsheet readership. Nevertheless her sentiments are entirely consistent with the image of Marion Bartoli that many of us have formed in our minds. A positive and affirming model of a strong successful woman. Just like Liberty leading the people. But also disarming and innocent. Marion can come accross as both invincible and vulnerable. The duality, in one person.
France has always nurtured the duality of women as mothers and wife’s on the one hand, and heroines and leaders on the other hand. I guess for a nation that has had an ambivalent relationship between monarchy and Catholic Church on the one hand and a socialistic republican identity on the other, one can begin to understand why such polar ideals of womanhood permeate the French psyche. It’s just strange that a country littered with strong female iconography has still failed to elect a woman president. (Maybe Marion should run for office and be the first. I’ll happily volunteer my services as campaign manager. She'd do a better than a hockey mom for sure)
And also, It’s just strange that a country with such a great love of individuality, difference, innovation, and radicalism, should so undervalue the two people that characterise these values in French tennis - Walter and Marion Bartoli. (Fabrice Sontoro and Amelie Mauresmo deserves a mention in this regard too.)
Returning to the site banner, I made it following Marion’s first or second round win at Stanford. Marion went on to reach the final. Tragically losing in the end to Wozniak. As one fan friend pointed out to me… ‘you know why this hurts for her so bad, it’s a chance at earning acceptance from the French public, gone.’
But with a Wimbledon final, and beating Amelie Mauresmo and Tatiana Golovin to French number 1, one has to wonder what a goddess has to do to gain acceptance!
Whether she’s recognised in the homeland as a hero and individualist or not, the cult of Marion still has many followers outside of France. ‘The Marion Revolution’ is global! We’re feeling it. Vive la difference.
05/11/08
Looks great!