Ballad of Francois Villon: The Wind (a.k.a.: "Flight")

Rico Lebrun

In "Ballad of Francois Villon: The Wind," Lebrun acknowledges the tragic life of 15th century poet, murderer, and thief, Francois Villon. He depicts an alienated figure, whose clothes are being ripped away by the wind, brandishing a knife in a dramatic life and death struggle with himself. A sense of both violence and grief are palpable in the image, made surprisingly elegant by Lebrun's sensitive, yet bold, chiaroscuro.

Though now considered the most recognized French poet of the Middle Ages, Francois Villon gained little recognition for his poetry when he was alive, languishing instead beneath the cloud of a reputation for thievery and murder - albeit a pardoned one. Villon was born in Paris in 1431, to a penniless mother and absentee father. He was fostered by the lawyer Guillaume de Villon, whom Francois credited with being his only real parent. Francois became a student of the arts and, despite being an admittedly average student - who appears, by all accounts, to have been bored and reckless, entertaining himself by brawling and stealing, and writing poems about the incidents after the fact - he received his baccalaureate from the Sorbonne in 1449 and a master of arts 1452.

On June 5, 1455, at age 24, a scuffle broke out between Villon and the priest Philippe Sermaise. Daggers were drawn and Sermaise, who is accused of having threatened and attacked Villon and drawn the first blood, received a stab wound to the groin from Villon, followed by a rock to the head. Sermaise died of his wounds, and Villon fled. He was soon caught and charged with murder, but was subsequently pardoned on grounds of justifiable homicide. Villon continued a life of thievery and skullduggery, continuing to chronicle it in his poems, which were celebrated by critics but also disregarded when he was repeatedly sent to prison or banished for petty crimes. He disappeared sometime around 1463. Today, he remains an inspiration to poets, musicians, and artists the world over.