The "Mélusine" Series

MÉLUSINE, A MYTHICAL FIGURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES

I painted these pictures to combine them with various pieces of music written by my colleague Raphaelle Zaneboni. In these paintings, I depict the strength and power of Mélusine by focusing more on the legend that speaks of Mélusine building a castle overnight. These four paintings show the development of this castle over the course of her life.

At the heart of the story is the tale of Mélusine marrying a knight on the condition that he does not see her in her true form: that of a water fairy, usually with the body of a snake. Mélusine becomes the source of his prestige and wealth until the knight breaks the taboo.
The oldest traditions of the Mélusine story date back to the 12th century. Possible origins can be found in pre-Christian legends from the Hellenic, Celtic and Near Eastern cultures. In modern times, there are numerous adaptations of the Mélusine story, and not just in German or French. There are versions of the story in Russian, English, Spanish, Dutch, Flemish and Icelandic.
The legend can thus be understood metaphorically: Mélusine expects her husband to respect her privacy and her personal rights. Men are not supposed to know everything about women, because not everything that is in a woman is comprehensible to a man.