Text by Juan Carlos Marset, Seville 1997

Excerpt from the text ŒSigns and countersigns of Angel Alonso¹

“…
Early one morning, almost at dawn, Alonso is woken by the smell of the
smoke from the burning fields. He goes to the wrought-iron gate of the Ferme
de la Chapelle and sees that the fire is coming toward his house. At first
he was frightened, but then he realized that this was just a part of the
farm work, and stayed to enjoy spectacle. When the fire had burnt out, it
was an absolute vision: the black land, like a tapestry, the most beautiful
he had seen in all his life. ŒWhat a poor thing painting is! he thought,
and started to walk over the black fields. Alonso began to collect grass and
carbon. He got sacks and put the ashes in them without touching them. The
forms, the vegetable skeleton, remained intact; the fire had destroyed the
bodies without destroying their shape.
…”