MARIE LAVEAU, CY TWOMBLY, XXX

On a recent trip to New Orleans, Maria and I visited St. Louis Cemetery #1, the oldest cemetery in the city, dating from 1789. Truly a fascinating place, this city of the dead, with above ground tombs - some bright white and brand new in shapes of pyramids and obelisks, many old and repaired, and many in disrepair, possibly forgotten by time. ( The crypts are not kept up unless a continuing care package is maintained ).

We saw the grave of Marie Laveau - or the supposed grave, it wouldn't be a surprise if the identity of its true occupant were lost to time as well. Laveau and her daughter, Laveau II were famous Voodoo practitioners in Crescent City in the 19th century. Voodoo practitioners were not taken lightly in the eclectic and ever-unique city of New Orleans and achieved considerable clout and fame.

The grave attracts tourists and fans, many of whom mark three X's (xxx) on the grave in the hopes that the spirit of Laveau will grant them a wish.

The result is something really lovely, which I compare here to a Cy Twombly ( or rather, the other way round ) - an old grave, a shrine to Laveau and a place for a small act.

Recently, I've been interested in the small act. Is this wishing an act of fancy, a small act of grace or art or aesthetics? Collectively, the XXX's and the xxx's and those inbetween take on a meaning that's full of tension and intrigue. And beautiful - physically and in what it represents - the wishes of dozens of strangers, the anointment of a location as a place of significnce for these acts.

Can this be reproduced? And how small of an act can have meaning and aesthetic value?

What's the smallest artistic act?

xxx