Guy Paris,

By Christian Morisot
Mr. Guy Paris entered the Institution for Invalids of the Legion in 1957 for a short period, enough time to teach former legionnaires a pastime that would allow them to forget their serious physical and moral wounds through an occupational activity.

The adventure lasted forty-two years, during which Mr. Paris demonstrated remarkable and noteworthy integration. He wrote a book about his years spent at the Captain Danjou estate in Puyloubier. This civilian observer teaches us a great deal about the directors of the Institution who, at different times, left their mark on this remarkable house where active solidarity is not an empty phrase.

Excellent artists died in poverty, while others, mediocre, achieved worldwide, social, and financial success. The young man, fresh out of military service, didn't ask himself these kinds of questions about his future as an artist. For him, living his art was a joy, even if it led him down dark, dead-end paths where the light of the mind shines only faintly and where, sometimes, inspiration results in artistic extravagances. Life, from a young age, had taught him that to live from his art, he had to relinquish some of his creative freedom in favor of certain constraints—an essential necessity for survival in a society where living on the margins is rarely, if ever, tolerated.

How could he engage professionally, placing this art at the center of his life and career, while being aware that he wasn't a genius, but rather a man striving for excellence in his work? Shortly before, in 1954, the Legion had gathered its cohort of seriously wounded veterans of the Indochina War at the so-called "General's Castle," a vast 220-hectare estate located in the commune of Puyloubier, at the very foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire, so dear to Cézanne and the subject of his famous painting. It had found the ideal place for its loyal servants, scarred in body and undoubtedly in spirit, to live sheltered from life's other hardships, among themselves, at home, and not with others.

But idleness being the mother of all vices, the idea of ​​finding activities for them arose; it was still necessary to find instructors to open workshops, which had yet to be conceived, built, and implemented within the estate, allowing these war-scarred men to reintegrate into society. This is how the French Foreign Legion called upon this very young artist with the significant name, Paris.

For Guy Paris, it was an opportunity to make a living from his art, even if, in return, it meant losing some of his creative freedom as an independent artist.

Monsieur Paris, as everyone called him, accepted the challenge and set about creating what would become one of the Domaine's most interesting activities. It was quite natural that, under his guidance, the ceramics workshop, this art born from the union of earth and fire, came into being in this rich Provençal landscape so beautifully celebrated by Mistral and so conducive to creation. Little by little, Monsieur Paris accomplished the remarkable feat of transforming our elders into santon makers and ceramic artisans, under the expert eye of the patient and generous master, who shared his know-how, his youth, and his creative enthusiasm.

Our young artist, now a teacher, seemed, for a time, free from material concerns. Only one danger loomed: the potential slide into fantasies of artistic recognition, inevitably leading to commercial conformity—one must eat to live—and the entrapment in an egocentric bubble, with no possibility of escape.
Fortunately, for the Institution and for the workshop's residents, Monsieur Paris had caught the bug for beautiful work, which he applied to good work.

Thus, this deeply humane man, a witness to the communal life of former legionnaires, became a true pillar of the Institution that employed him. The satisfaction of the various Directors who succeeded one another and who appreciated him for his true worth was genuine. This young man, to everyone's surprise, managed this vitally important space perfectly, skillfully, and generously. It offered the residents the invaluable conviction of being useful and still having a purpose, thanks to him and to artistic activity, sometimes learned somewhat reluctantly.

This "civilian," through his work, his discretion, and the quality of the relationships he forged, knew how to establish himself and find his place perfectly among the legionnaires. He understood the spirit of this Legion, which considered him one of its own, awarding him the title of legioner of honor, that much-coveted title.

Today, retired after 42 years of service to the Legion in Puyloubier, Mr. Paris tells us, through this book, about his life, dedicated to his art and to the former legionnaires for whom he had friendship, responsibility, and also trust.

An artist at heart, he explains to anyone who can or wants to listen that he now aspires to do what he wants, when he wants, and at his own pace… but in reality, that is what he has done all his life, despite the constraints imposed upon him.

Sculpting to earn a living is working out of necessity, certainly, but also for one's own pleasure and for the pleasure of others; the artist must fulfill himself. The Institution of Invalids of the Foreign Legion offered him a form of freedom coupled with undeniable security and the possibility of preserving his work, the key to a successful life. Didn't La Boétie say that "success is the leash of voluntary servitude"?

Mr. Paris, like any self-respecting artist, wants to reach new horizons in the practice of his art. This retiree now feels free to take this plunge into the unknown and the mystery that dictates his vocation. He possesses a restless energy, like quicksilver. It is this drive that makes the great artists of this world. Mr. Paris, an artist distinguished by the title of Best Craftsman of France, commands respect through his beautiful work in service to our former legionnaires. He has my friendship and esteem for this part of the journey we have shared on the path of legionnaire solidarity and friendship.

To the great joy of our residents, Mr. Paris handed over the reins to Captain Louis Perez y Cid, who continued this emblematic ceramics workshop for another twenty years, to our great satisfaction and that of the residents.
Thank you, dear artists!