Inspiration and concept of murals painted in the Hotel Saint Louis et de la Poste

by Muralist, JorgeLoy

The original idea to paint the ceiling of the Hotel Saint Louis et de la Poste's restaurant was to broaden the interior space, with the objective of exalting the values of the region. That is why the grapes that had given world wide fame to the Burgogne region do frame the two paintings in the salon.

Impressed by the age of the Hotel and with the reference to the fact that Autun was once the cultural capital of Rome, the idea came to me to paint "Autun's Time". Entering the salon from the interior door of the hotel you can find a clock made of several rings that begin in the universe, one can see the constellation of the sun, the moon and our planet earth. The planets open and we can find the astrological signs which, among other things, aided farmers in their farming cycles.

There are four markers, taken from the Mexican Aztec calendar, that show the 12, 3, 6, 9 hours of the clock. The 12th hour is marked by the astrological sign Aries.

• At 1 o'clock is generous Minerva who gives grapes to the region
• At 2 o'clock is a Roman cart
• At 3 o'clock is Arroux, a door to Autun
• At 4 o'clock is the lion cub that appeared with Minerva, now strong and reigning the world
• At 5 o'clock is King Louis IX of France who was canonized in 1297 and after whom the hotel was named in 1744. The name was suggested by the then King Louis XV
• At 6 o'clock is one of the ancient postal logs of the hotel. This logo refers to those in charge of the postal service who spend nights in the hotel. This is why the hotel name includes "et de la Poste".
• At 7 o'clock we see the lion taking a nap, history says times were not always prosperous.
• At 8 o'clock is Napoleon Bonaparte, a hotel guest on several separate occasions. In this scene Napoleon fights Janus. Napoleon's final stay was when he abdicated and recuperated his throne with General Fay's aid, February 15 & 16, 1815.
• At 9 o'clock the lion awakens, prosperity is on the upswing.
• At 10 o'clock it is time to enjoy in the beautiful restaurant the exquisite cheeses, breads and wines
• At 11 o'clock we see the hotel's entry
• At 12 o'clock the lion is in fighting position. It is the lion on Autun's shield

In the second painting angels play background music for the season, others show symbols that have now combined to give life to the new "Hotel Saint Louis et de la Poste".

There are flags of the originating countries of the partners in this project, the shield of Burgogne and Autun, and Bacus can be seen against a column that changes angle depending from where it is seen. On the opposite side we see a horse that enters the salon. The horse wears robes that characterized the knights of "L Toison D'Or" (The Order of the Golden Fleece), an order founded by Duke Phillip III in 1430 with occasion of his wedding in Bruge.

Explaining the meaning of the paintings in the salon of the restaurant at "Hotel Saint Louis et de la Poste", also gives me the opportunity to thank my friends Lyn and Jack Branagh and Cece & Stan Mehlhoff, for commissioning me to participate with my paintings in the historic "Hotel Saint Louis et de la Poste".

Jorge Lox

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