La prose du Transsibérien et de la Petite Jehanne de France

Princeton University Art Museum (the USA).

Canvas, oil.

This long-format illustration of the poem by Blaise Cendrars is considered a “simultaneous book”. The two-meter strip, folding like an accordion, demonstrates the technique of manipulating colour for maximum expression. The author stated, “Painting is a form of poetry, colours are words, the rhythms of their relationship; a completed picture is a completed poem.” The plot describes the poet’s journey in 1905 along the Trans-Siberian Railway with French courtesan Jeanne — the entire text with lines and paragraphs of an uneven shape is printed in different colours except for the expected black. The design at one side, similar to a many-sided ornament, directs the reader through the text, reflecting the mood and content of the poem. The unusual edition was planned with a circulation of 150 copies – if all copies are placed in one line, they will make up the height of the Eiffel Tower. In fact, less than a hundred books were issued. Sonia presented the original model in 1955 to the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris.