Life — June 2, 1927 — page 36: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical comic strip by French artist Edouard Bernard, republished in Life magazine. It depicts "The Poet, the Muse and the Renter of Chairs"—a narrative about romantic idealism meeting harsh reality. The sequence shows a poet courting a muse (nude female figure) in an idyllic garden setting beneath hanging foliage. A man in a hat (the chair renter) repeatedly interrupts their romantic moments, demanding payment. The strip progresses from the poet's initial courtship through increasingly awkward confrontations, culminating in the couple being chased away. The satire mocks both the poet's impractical romanticism and the crass materialism of commerce—the "renter of chairs" literally commodifying public space and interrupting artistic/amorous pursuits. The Latin subtitle "Aut Scissors aut Nullus" suggests art must cut away illusions or face oblivion. It's a bittersweet commentary on how practical financial demands destroy bohemian dreams.