That said, “Calligraffiti of Fire” is an astounding and beautiful work, and I’m unreservedly admirative. Makes me wish he’d had the resources earlier in life to have a proper studio, one large enough in which he could have produced more works on this scale. I (think) I recall reading an interview where he himself said something to this effect? I don’t know the size of the majority of his paintings (though the article says he made “very few” large-scale paintings); the ones I saw in Paris were rather small. I really like small-sized paintings, but I love how Gysin’s calligraphic style appears when writ large, as with “Calligraffiti of Fire”.

One day, I hope to see this in person. Thanks for this article in the meantime. “Calligraffiti of Fire” deserves to be celebrated. It’s a masterpiece, and not just his masterpiece.

Also, a propos of nothing, “Pistol Poem” alone shows just how much Gysin thought “outside the box,” for lack of a better term. What’s that quote? “Gysin shot off ideas like sparks, ideas that other artists based entire careers on”….something like that. Indeed! I think “ahead of his time” is appropriate for any number of his ideas and creations. Reading about his final years, the loneliness and physical suffering, always saddens me. He deserved better, to live to see how much his life and work have become so much more appreciated than when he was alive.

Thanks again, Ian.

And bravo, Brion. Sharing a lump of hash with Hassan-i Sabbah in the Garden of Delights!