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Exhibition curator Laila Samuel and museum director Albrecht Beutelspacher with a drawing by Bosc, which is part of the mathematics collection. Photo: Gauges © Gauges
A show with caricatures by the Frenchman Bosc opens this evening in Giessen.
Pour. Order is more than just half of life. At least for people who like to work with numbers. Because in this way they can compare and relate elements of a set to one another, as the definition says. So it’s no wonder that Mathematicum director Prof. Albrecht Beutelspacher and exhibition coordinator Laila Samuel are enthusiastic about the cartoonist Bosc. The Frenchman has repeatedly and cleverly made all kinds of orders the subject of his drawings. Now he can be discovered in a special exhibition in which 62 of his works are shown. The show will open under the title “100 Years of Jean Bosc” this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The self-taught Bosc (1924-1973) was “one of the greatest in his profession” in the 1950s and 60s, reports Albrecht Beutelspacher in a press interview. The list of media in which he published his caricatures and cartoons is long and international: in addition to numerous French, English and Italian media, in Germany these included Zeit, FAZ and Stern. And Beutelspacher himself has always been a fan of Bosc’s work: “My first book publication was dedicated to the subject of geometry, and I smuggled in a drawing of his,” he says.
In 2019, the Mathematicsum planned an exhibition about the artist, who died young, and contacted his nephew, who is looking after the estate. Numerous loans from him went to Giessen, but then Corona came – and the show “unfortunately didn’t find an audience,” says the Mathematicum director. Now, on the occasion of Bosc’s 100th birthday on December 30th, he and curator Laila Samuel are making a new attempt. In addition to sheets from our own collection, the works on display also include thematically appropriate reproductions and a short film that the great Loriot once made for German television about his esteemed colleague.
And even if Bosc himself was not a mathematician or did not show a particular passion for science based on his CV, the two Giessen exhibition organizers believe that he fits in very well with their house. In his drawings you can discover recurring motifs that are also of great importance in the world of numbers.
Above all, there is the title-giving order. In the booklet specially published for the exhibition with the title “Order must be!” you can see a group of sailors who, after the sinking of their ship, stack themselves perfectly like a cube on a small island. “Well-thought-out room filling can save lives,” writes Laila Samuel in the accompanying text.
Order and infinity
In general: The military and its special system of order repeatedly becomes an ironic motif for the cartoonist, who was influenced by his experiences at the front in Indochina. For example, when he shows a small group of soldiers who have placed a few branches around their necks as camouflage during roll call. However, the crooked wild growth is brought into right (angled) order by a supervisor using hedge trimmers.
The theme of infinity, which is fascinating in mathematics, can also be discovered in an original way at Bosc. There are, for example, the animals that are on the way to Noah’s Ark and force a farmer crossing their path to stop with his team of oxen. Using the vanishing point perspective and the ever-shrinking pairs of species in the background of the picture, he shows that the farmer will probably have to wait an “infinitely” long time. In another scene in the park, visitors save the rental fee for the chairs. Only one person has paid for a seat, everyone else chooses the knees of the person behind them – so they also form a seemingly eternal row that leads to the edge of the picture.
For Albrecht Bagspacher, the Frenchman was above all a master of everyday observation. He made married life just as amusing and light-hearted a subject as car drivers or athletes. His style is enormously reduced. Bosc avoids color as well as ornaments or decorations of other kinds. With his clear, simple lines he “always hits exactly the point,” as Beutelspacher enthuses. The 62 works from the cartoonist’s pen now make for a worthwhile exhibition that all age groups should enjoy equally.
The exhibition “100 Years of Jean Bosc” opens this Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Mathematicum. The introduction is given by Dr. Thomas Kronenberg from the Caricatura Museum Frankfurt. Guided tours are available on Sunday, December 1st and Sunday, January 12th, at 3 p.m. The show can be seen until January 12th.
1. What makes the French cartoonist Bosc’s work particularly interesting for the Mathematicsum museum in Giessen?
2. How does mathematics relate to the themes and motifs found in Bosc’s cartoons, such as order and infinity?
3. What role did Bosc’s experiences during World War II have on his artistic perspective and style?
4. In what ways does the exhibition “100 Years of Jean Bosc” showcase the artist’s talent and ability to observe everyday life with humor?
5. How does Bosc’s use of clear, simple lines contribute to the effectiveness of his caricatures?
6. What challenges were faced while curating the exhibition, given the impact of COVID-19 and the previous attempt to display Bosc’s work?
7. Can you discuss the unique blend of art and science seen in the presentation of this exhibition?
8. How do you hope visitors will engage with the exhibit, and what sort of impact might it have on their understanding of both mathematics and art?
