Tidying around I rediscovered my collection of Merlin, an avant-garde magazine edited by Alexander Trocchi in the 50s and published in Paris.
I got the rare mags at least a decade ago, while doing a research on Trocchi, erotic novels, Maurice Girodias and censorship, that later on became the introduction for the Italian edition of Trocchi’s Young Adam.
Included in the third issue of the magazine (the one with the green cover), there is a series of illustrations that form a story entitled “The Red Cloth” by architect George R. Bartholick (1921-1998).
Born in 1921 in Bellingham, Washington, Bartholick, studied architecture at the University of Washington and returned to his studies in 1945 after serving the army during the Second World War. After receiving his degree in 1950, he moved to Europe where, inspired also by the Scandinavian tradition, he focused on harmonising a structure’s design with its surrounding landscape and on re-modelling existing structures. It was while working in Europe that he came in contact with the writers linked with Merlin magazine.
The story of how he submitted his illustrations to Trocchi is also mentioned by Baird Bryant, one of the Merlin associates, in "Souvenirs of the Beat Hotel":
“I was in Trocchi's room when a handsome American knocked on the door. He told us he had looked us up because he had a piece that he thought would be perfect for Merlin. It was called The Red Cloth.
It was a series of drawings every one of which contained a picture of the red cloth.
First when it was picked up by an army of crusaders who flew it as their banner. It flew as their battle flag when they attacked another army who was fighting under their standard topped by a crescent moon. It was this army who, triumphant, took the red cloth as their symbol of victory.
The crusaders attacked again to regain the cloth with the result that both sides did each other in and all that was left was the red cloth.
I thought it was great. A morality play with no words necessary. But since there were no words, Alex had a hard time considering it a piece of literature, and after all, Merlin was a literary magazine. I pointed out that it used a universal language. Anybody anywhere could understand the message, and it was a good message: the world is all too prone to destroy itself over a worthless piece of cloth that has become a symbol to die for. Alex was convinced."
Bartholick’s sketchy and minimalist drawings went rather well with the intense "Words and War" editorial featured in the magazine. Yet the idea of "a worthless piece of cloth" becoming a symbol to die for could be used also as a good metaphor for fashion victims ready to kill each other for clothes or accessories and I guess it would be amazing to see Bartholick’s "catastrograph" reprinted on a scarf: it would be a great universal message and a tribute to its author as well.
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