Gianni Schicchi: Vampire or Zombie?

Dante and Virgil in Hell (1850)
by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

I saw this painting and the first thing that came to mind was, cool, a vampire. I mean, look at it, one guy is biting another guy quite ferociously in the neck, and flying above them is some type of batlike man which looks very much like something I've seen in such vampire movies as Bram Stoker's Dracula.

It turns out that this is a painting by Bouguereau. Yes, that Bouguereau. The one who also painted the Cupid and Psyche as Children.

In this painting entitled Dante and Virgil in Hell (not to be confused with The Barque of Dante by Eugène Delacroix), Bouguereau is depicting a scene from Dante Alighieri's famous Divine Comedy from the 1300's. In the first part of the poem called Inferno the characters Dante and Virgil are led through different levels of hell. This particular scene is in the eighth circle of hell where falsifiers (liars, counterfeiters, and so on) are kept.

In Canto XXX it reads:

As I beheld two shadows pale and naked,
Who, biting, in the manner ran along
That a boar does, when from the sty turned loose.
One to Capocchio came, and by the nape
Seized with its teeth his neck, so that in dragging
It made his belly grate the solid bottom.
And the Aretine, who trembling had remained,
Said to me: "That mad sprite is Gianni Schicchi,
And raving goes thus harrying other people."

So there I have it. In this painting Gianni Schicchi is not a vampire sucking the blood of Capocchio. But he could be a zombie though.

As is so succinctly paraphrased in one commentary: "That goblin is Gianni Schicci, and he goes, rabidly, mangling others like that."

Myeongdong Fantasy Festival 2011

Today I went to the 2011 Myeongdong Fantasy Festival. Myeongdong is a trendy fashion districts in Seoul. I went to a particular item on the fantasy festival list, namely a live drawing. Here's one sketch I made.

Since it was a fantasy festival I decided to dress in steam punk for the occasion. Coincidentally this matched with the clothes of the two models so I volunteered for one sitting.

Nataniël

Soveel mense weet nog nie watse briljante kunstenaar Nataniël is nie. Met die ou legendes soos Tolla van der Merwe en Jan Spies reeds lankal ondergronds, is Nataniël seker ons land se mees humoristiese storieverteller. Maar om Nataniël met Van der Merwe en Spies te vergelyk is soos om trifle en chocolate mousse met mekaar te vergelyk. Albei is heerlike poedings, maar jy sit nie albei op dieselfde nageregtafel nie. 'n Trifle is geskik, sommer vir enige partytjie. Jy kan trifle eet by die kerkbazaar, 'n kinderverjaarsdagpartytjie, na die Bulls gewen (of verloor) het, by die skoolkermis, op 'n Sondagmiddag. Chocolate mousse is bietjie anders, is dit nie? Daar is iets aan 'n goeie chocolate mousse wat nie heeltemal pas in skoolsale, langs die braaier, of by 'n (geheiligde) vlooimark nie. 'n Ordentelike chocolate mousse is nie 'n alledaagse nagereg nie. Dis nie vir kinders met snotneusies en vuilbekkies en -kloutjies nie. Dis 'n grootmenspoeding. Jy moet bietjie lewenservaring hê vir chocolate mousse en jou tong moet kan onderskei tussen goedkooplekker en kwaliteitlekker. Nataniël is soos chocolate mousse. As jy nog nooit 'n Nataniël storie gehoor het nie, luister na een van sy vertellinge hier.

Maar hy is nie net 'n storieverteller nie. Dalk vertel ek meer oor sy ander talente op 'n ander geleentheid. Intussen, hier is sy webbladsy: www.nataniel.co.za

Why the Exhibitionism?

Since I've recently posted some provocative self-portraits again, I think it is appropriate that I remind some of my old readers, and inform some of the new ones, about the reason for my exhibitionism . . . uhm . . . self-portraits.

Lest my self-portraits, which I post here on this blog, seem like gross vanity allow me to explain. I like taking artistic photos . . . and enjoy doing portraits and artistic renditions of the human body. Unfortunately most people feel shy about being the subject for photography and since I'm not a fulltime photographer I'm not planning to hire a model anytime soon . . . [Therefore] I take photos of the only willing human subject I have easy access to -- myself.

To me it is all about an artistic play with light and shadow, colour and composition. And as an artist, I like to walk that tightrope of provocation . . . And I feel it is complimentary to this blog. I try to be really honest and frank about myself. I'm practising the art of self-revealing; it is not always easy, but if I want to be a true artist, I believe that is what is required of me. But of course there is only so much my audience can learn about me. Art, be it in word or in image, is always just a representation of the real, it is never the real itself.

Pappa maak vir baba bang

Waarvoor was jy bang as kind (of dalk nog steeds)? In sy reeks Horror Photogrophy verken die fotograaf Joshua Hoffine hierdie tema. Vir meer fotos in die reeks (asook die moontlikheid om afdrukke te bestel) besoek sy aanlynportefeulje.

Hugh Masakela

The affable South African jazz legend, Hugh Masakela, turned 70 two days ago (4 April). Here's to many more years of great South African jazz!

Gustav Klimt Exhibition

Yesterday I went to the Gustav Klimt exhibition at the Seoul Art Centre.

The exhibition was well worth it. Considering the works presented, there is unlikely to be another Klimt exhibition of this sort in Asia. Many of the works are from private collection.

Klimt (1862-1918) was an Austrian artist. He was a Symbolist painter. Symbolist art is basically Romanticist art, just darker -- more gothic and spiritual.

I was extremely impressed by Klimt's skill. What was most striking for me is how he has completely mastered the use of negative space. In his work the negative space is just as provocatively and effectively employed, as the application of any line or paint. Speaking of line, Klimt really had sketching down to perfection. Not for a moment does that imply that his painting skills were less worthy. On the contrary, while much of his later work tended to lean towards two dimentional abstraction, Klimt was a master at life-like portraits. In some of the portraits the jewelry of the sitters are so lucid one can almost take them off of the canvases.

Part of the exhibition is the Beethoven Friese, a fresco covering three walls. It is truly a majestic piece of art, full of allegorical symbolism and again, Klimt's amazing use of negative space. Typical of Klimt's ouvre is his use of gold. This is especially effectively used in the Beethoven Friese.

The exhibition also included many of his studies for some of his famous painting, as well as a whole section devoted to his surprisingly explisit erotic studies of the female nude. In many of the erotic studies the vagina is the focal point. The female is a paradoxical symbol for Klimt. She is both the femme fatale, but also the life bearer.

Going to such quality exhibitions is probably one of the best things I enjoy about Korea. I cannot imagine attending an exhibition of this size, of a master like Klimt, in in South Africa. Even if such an exhibition were to come to South Africa it would probably be hosted somewhere that is not easily accessible from where I live. For this reason I really try to make the most of my current opportunities.

Björk gesels oor TVs en jokkende digters

Björk sê jy moenie dat digters vir jou jok nie, en sy weet van sulke dinge. Sy is net so aangrypend, sommer so, as wanneer sy sing. Sy inspireer my.