Jean Crampilh-Broucaret (1939–1972) died, leaving behind a unique work: an engraved floor, known as the ‘Plancher de Jeannot’ since its discovery in 1994. But what do we know of the artist’s intentions? When did he embark on the project? How did he conceive and plan its creation in a house in the village of Vic-Bilh in Béarn, that ‘old country’ of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques? Is it an indictment or a testament to his suffering? These are the questions that numerous authors, writers, psychiatrists and admirers of Art Brut have sought to answer, covering *Le Plancher* with their interpretations whilst it was on display away from its original site.
This book seeks to restore Jeannot’s ‘Plancher’ to its authentic state through an analysis of its creative process and of the family and social history rooted in the tradition to which its creator was bound. The analysis of the many ways in which it has been appropriated over the past three decades constitutes a third chapter essential to understanding it – a historiography that the book sets out to explore.
Regarding this unique epigraphic monument, destined for both permanence and silence, which it was vital to restore to its full integrity, this work offers approaches that differ from those published to date, with the aim of examining this work in terms of its materiality and beauty.