Marc Eliany
Pilgrimage
Le pèlerinage
Moroccans are devoted to pilgrimage. Pilgrims
plead their saints to intercede on their behalf
to have their wishes fulfilled: good health, a
husband or a wife, fertility, a baby boy, a baby girl,
good fortune, rain in season, abundant crops or a
prosperous season in the markets.
I was also impressed by the admiration of the
Moroccan people to their kings, especially to the deceased Moulay Youssef. It
equals saintly reverence.
In my painting, Loyal Followers, royalty and
sainthood unite to suggest a holy place, a crown,
the protecting eye of a benevolent king, perhaps
a saint and a colorfully-dressed crowd of loyal followers.
Le pèlerinage
Marc Eliany
Les vœux des pèlerins
rassemblent les Marocains autour des tombes des saints. On cherche le salut,
le pardon est
accordé et des promesses sont
formulées. Taillés sur les arbres ou gravés dans un rocher, des vœux de longue
date: un poisson pour la fertilité, une
main, un œil pour protéger du mal, le
rouge pour le sacrifice et le vert pour l'abondance.
Pour les Marocains, le
pèlerinage est une dévotion. Les pèlerins prient leurs saints d’intercéder en
leur faveur, ou que leurs vœux soient exaucés: une bonne santé, un homme ou une
femme à marier,
la fertilité, une fille,
un garçon, la bonne fortune, la pluie en saison, des moissons abondantes ou une
bonne saison au marché.
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Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Cavalier royal Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm) |
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Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave
Marc Eliany
In Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave, green and red,
the colors of the Moroccan flag, and royal guards riding horses wearing ceremonial uniforms come to mind.
Since my childhood, I remember a guard dressed in a colourful uniform, a red
vest, black bottoms, a green tunic and snow white gloves, smiling at me.
I painted the guard riding what may be a horse or
a wave, because I love the color of the Mediterranean Sea in Rabat and because
of the respect I have for Moulay Youssef and his Majesty Hassan II, the kings
of Morocco, masters of consensus, who overcame social and ethnic differences.
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Pilgrims’ Wishes in Green on Red Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (40 x 60 cm)
Les vœux en vert et rouge Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (40 x 60 cm) |
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Pilgrims' wishes
Marc Eliany
Pilgrims' wishes bring Moroccans together around
the tombs of saints. There, salvation is sought, forgiveness is granted and
promises are made. Carved on a tree or a rock are timeless wishes: a fish
for fertility, a hand, an eye to guard against evil, red for sacrifice and
green for abundance.
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Chasing Spirits in Blue Oil on canvas board, 1993, Vienna (50.8 x 60.9 cm)
Dance nocturne en bleu Huile sur toile cartonée, 1993, Vienne (50.8 x 60.9 cm) |
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Holy Grounds
Marc Eliany
When pilgrims stepped on holy grounds, the presence of
saints inhabited them, their hair stood, prayers and wishes came out of their
mouths as if they knew them by heart from some old and ancient time. And when a
bird flew over a tomb or when a rain suddenly fell from above, pilgrims filled
with joy:
"The saint is here!
The saint has come!
To bless
To cure,
Grant wishes, and
Hearts desires!"
And the pilgrims dipped their hands in the
saints' water and spread it on their eyes and lips and ears and every other
part of their body craving for a cure. They went to the saints full of
anxieties and left happy and content that all their wishes would be
fulfilled...