Infamous tyranny of man over woman!
Yes, in the beginnings of my marriage, I had the will to please my husband and to be the maid he wanted me to be. When I married Mr. Dudevant, I thought I chose the most frank and devoted man...
I could not advise anyone a marriage sanctioned by a civil law that enshrines the dependency, inferiority and social nullity of a woman... O abominable violation of the most sacred rights, infamous tyranny of man over woman. Although I seek the remedy in bloody injustices, endless misery, passions often without remedy that disturb the union of the sexes, I see no other way out than the freedom to break the union of marriage.
So I went to the courts to ask for a separation of body and property that assures me a life free from threats, outrages, blows, and some more serious danger... Mr Dudevant was cruelly strangled by my lawyer, he was afraid, and without waiting for the judgment of the court of Bourges, he withdrew...
So I became definitely free, father and mother of my children, the man who runs the outside and the writer who watches the inside. The city of Bourges was decisive in my renaissance. I've definitely become George Sand.
Georges Buisson
the Puppet Theatre
The puppet theatre of Nohant was born from the imagination of Maurice Sand and his friend Eugène Lambert. First improvised behind a simple chair covered with fabrics, the shows quickly expanded with the construction of a real castelet in 1849. Maurice Sand imagines the scenarios, sculpts the faces of the characters and invents special effects, while Eugene Lambert creates the sets and George Sand makes the costumes. Reflecting the company and the fantastic world of their creators, more than a hundred puppets will be born in nearly thirty years.
Me, Balandard,
Troop leader !!!
I'm wearing flat hair, half-long and rejected back. My mouth arched with malice is always ready to say a good word. Here, ladies and gentlemen, in preview, the characters of my famous Nohant troop!
— Let's start with the figures of the Italian comedy, with in order of appearance: Pierrot and his sweet Colombine, Brighella and his white tip, Pants, Captain, Cassandre and Polichinelle! See the Arlequin, he wears jacket and multicolored diamond pants.
— Now place the small people of the people: peasants, workers, harvesters, strikers, stationmaster and field guard!...
— Then come all the lawmen with their dark and voluminous dresses, their white ties: bailiffs, judges, lawyers and prosecutors!
— But I already hear in the distance the drum bearings of the army! Hurry! Let the scene go! Place! Place! This is Napoleon I and his troops!
— Dear audience, be careful! The monsters and the devils will appear, rising before your eyes dazzling the burning Hells! La Cocadrille, Belzebush and Satanas! Demons and subordinates, wake up!
Turn on all the lights, open the curtain and let the show begin!!
« The finely chiseled puppets inspire a nobility of character. While the wicked have heavy and coarse features. »
Georges Buisson
The Dendrites
by George Sand
In the 1860s, George Sand discovered a unique artistic technique:
on dendrites. This method consists of crushing a few drops of gouache between two cartons of bristol to produce branched forms close to the trees visible in some rocks.
From these spontaneous spots, George Sand then composes watercolor landscapes. She turns these mineral forms into poetic decorations, sometimes populated by familiar figures, such as her granddaughters or her dog Fadet.
These works bear witness to his taste for experimentation, but also to his sensitive gaze on nature. Between chance, observation and imagination, the dendrites reveal another facet of George Sand: that of an artist attentive to the hidden forms of the world.
Artist of the window
ISABELLE DUBOIS-MILHIET
Originally from Bourges, Isabelle early in drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts de Bourges before continuing his studies at the School of Applied Arts Estienne in Paris.
His career as artistic director led him to explore the vast territory of visual creation, through numerous campaigns carried out within advertising agencies. Currently, his work is mainly in the fields of art and design. Her favourite plastic writings are linogravure and printmaking, which she uses to develop sensitive and singular narrative motifs. His artistic universe explores the field of P/Matrimony.
She has a deep fascination for the Berry, intimate territory and inspiration.
« There are hours when I escape from myself, where I live in a plant, where I feel grass, bird, tree top, cloud, running water, horizon, color, shape and changing sensations, moving, indefinite. »
George Sand – Impressions and memories – 1873
60th edition of the Nohant Festival Chopin
On the occasion of its 60th edition, the Nohant Festival Chopin celebrates an exceptional double anniversary: the 60th anniversary of the festival and the 150th anniversary of the disappearance of George Sand. Placed under the theme « Sand and Chopin in Nohant »This edition celebrates the artistic and cultural heritage left by these two emblematic figures of romanticism.
Concerts, shows, meetings and young international talents will be at the heart of George Sand's home this musical summer. An essential event for lovers of music, literature and heritage.
Discover all the programming and practical information on the festival's official website.
