JOSEPH EMMANUEL
Paris, Sex and Revolution

One afternoon in early autumn, coming down from Monmarte, I came across this passionate man reading a book with a loud voice and pleasure. I found the visual resemblance between him and the portrait painted on the wall a. Not wanting to miss this fading opportunity I took the shot and little I knew what I will discover later. In the post production as I zoomed in, I noticed that the book cover is La Revolution Inconnue (the unknown revolution) by Voline and Lenin's face is on the cover. The content of the book matched the passionate reading of the young man as well as his attire. To the right side of the mural, a worn out yet readable poster can be seen with these words "Enfants de Pigalle" (children of Pigalle). South of Montmartre, Pigalle is notorious for being a tourist district, with many sex shops, and theatres with Moulin Rouge as its iconic face. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec's studio was here. Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Maurice Neumont also lived here.

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