Welcome to the online home of FACTEUR CHEVAL'S PALAIS IDEAL.

This site is dedicated to Facteur Ferdinand Cheval - an uneducated, unskilled mailman who was moved to build the palace of his childhood imagination after stumbling across one beautiful stone in the road. Facteur ("mailman" in French) Cheval is one of the most inspiring people I have discovered and I was fortunate enough to visit his Palais Ideal in the village of Hauterives, France, in May 2001. I took these photographs with this site in mind, and I have translated some of his poems and inscriptions. There are no other sites with photos and information of this sort, though there is a great essay and biography on him by journalist Jeremy Josephs here. The Official Site has basic information as well.

Click the image at the top to return to this page from any of the others.

WHAT'S HERE

There is a short biography of Cheval, but most of the site contains briefly annotated photographs of his stone palace. All quotes at the top of the pages are from Cheval. There are also several links to other folk art environments online and resources you can explore if you would like to know more about this type of art. Practical information is included in case you plan to visit.

BEWARE: IMAGE SIZES

The palace is highly detailed, and the thumbnail-linked photos are *large* (a few are above 1 MB). File sizes are in brackets after each description, e.g. [700 kb]. The thumbnails themselves are good size, with the idea that it is not necessary to click on all of them. This site is an archive of sorts, as it is the only in-depth resource on Cheval, so high-quality images are beneficial for those who have the capability and interest to view them. Many looking here will have high-speed connections, but for those with dial-up, I have a Best Of page of photos and recommend sticking to the thumbnails.

FOLK ART ENVIRONMENTS and OUTSIDER ART

Folk art environments are the most substantial and unusual creations by those considered Outsider Artists. They are structures and worlds that range in size from a front yard grotto to more than 25 acres of structures and statues. They allow you to walk through and disappear into the unique interior world of the artist. The most widely accepted criteria for outsider artists are as follows:

The artists are unaware of artistic traditions, lack professional training, and have no interest in infiltrating the professional art world.
They create from an inner need rather than for an outside audience. Their art stems from personal visions rather than family or cultural traditions.
They often work in isolation and live outside mainstream society. Some are mental patients, recluses, or eccentrics, though categorizing all outsider artists this way isn't accurate.

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