Le vies parallèles (Parallel lives)

Alma Charta, Le vies parallèles, an artist’s booklet with text by Marcus Aurelius and an etching by André Beuchat

Le vies parallèles is an outstanding publication by the Alma Charta atelier, and is the second book of the Cahiers Mystiques series. It contains two texts by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, accompanied by an etching by André Beuchat. The words of stoic Roman philosopher emperor, translated into French and printed with Bodoni movable type, reveal his personal meditations on man and destiny. The image, engraved by copper etching and hand-printed by star wheel press, represents a human tower in continuous movement, a symbolic depiction of life linked to the passage of time and to the wise man’s constant desire to seek freedom and happiness. This beautiful artistic book has a print run of 50 copies signed by André Beuchat – with the addition of five copies printed on Hahnemūhle paper – consists of ten hand-sewn pages, in a black cardboard cover enriched by a calligraphic intervention.