Category: art

King Cyrus

On October 29th (7th Alban) King Cyrus apparently conquered Babylon.

Cyrus is a celebrated character and adversary in Greek and Hebrew literature but his unofficial feast, today, is also a thing of fear for the Iranian authorities who have done all they can to discourage thousands from visiting his desert tomb in Pasargadae. The tough clerical authoritarians like Nuri Hameedani have branded the festival as “counterrevolutionary” which may well be partly true… Last year there was a slogan which read “Clerical rule is the same as tyranny” which is rather direct.

Nuri Hamedani by TIM

In the days of the internet, it is difficult to control  =how people want to express themselves without isolating the country from the modern age entirely. Certainly, there was little evidence of the “feast” before the present century. Last year, the regime resorted to threatening text messages to anyone they thought might be considering a trip in advance of the celebration. The site is apparently closed off this year. I do not have up to date information but would welcome comments from those who know!! Please add below!!

cyrus the great by TIM

GREEK GODS

I put up a small talk about the origin of the Greek gods with some illustrations that copy statues and various paintings. Art work below!

cronos by TIM

 

Apologies for beginning with an image of Cronos but it makes some sense.

The teaching of mythology brings children and adults into contact with other world cultures, but it is also a chance to introduce some of the great works of art and literature. Norse mythology, for instance gives us a huge insight into the development of English in much the same way that greek mythology once found a natural home in Greek and latin classes at school.

Here is a link to the youtube talk I have just posted. Do check it out, subscribe and add comments if you wish!

 

hestia by TIMjuno in sky by TIMjuopiter and juno in Farnese by Timleto and children by TIMbirth of venus after Botticelli by TIMPoseidon by TIMcastration of Uranus by TIM

 

What Disney added to the whole thing is significant. Just as he introduced children to classical music and dinosaurs (religious groups stopped him linking evolution to the development of man so there is no ape-man animation in the Rite of Spring, just dying dinosaurs), so too he introduced us to classical mythology. It is all oddly coloured and the Disney publicity machine went wild about a particular loganberry colour- but there is so much in the Beethoven segment that is worthy, albeit a conflation of Bacchus/Dionysos and Silenus.

tribute-to-ward-kimball-bacchus-by-timuranus by TIMathena in Louvre by TIMPersephone and hades after Bernini by TIM

 

Always important to remember that Dionysos was a dangerous god. I will do something later on the Bacchae by Euripides!dionysos fantasia and statues by TIM

One of the delights of mythology is in identifying why stories arose. For instance, the golden fleece is located in Colchis, now in Georgia.  Recent excavations in Vani revealed panning in the river and a gold rush that must lie behind the legend. Jason was a prospector – it’s a  pre-history version of “Paint your wagon”, one of the great American musicals utterly destroyed by a film that was cast with non-singing leads. More on that another time!

 

hermes by TIM.jpg2nd-century-roman-copy-in-louvre-by-tim.jpg

 

The Baby Zeus was hidden from Cronos by being suspended between earth and heaven in a hanging basket, and when he cried, an army of Cretans danced furiously to drown out the sound. The is is the origin of much Cretan dancing! Zorba would be proud!infancy of Zeus by TIM.jpgcopy of Romanelli Cronos by TIM.jpgGoddess vatican by TIM.jpg

Inside the tower of London CHANNEL 5

I did some work on this programme and other episodes in the series for Nick Gillam- Smith, and watched it this morning in its broadcast form. Well worth seeing- I did some sketches towards the end of the programme which are here – mostly connected with the princes in the tower.

tower of london by TIM

 

Constable

Deeply distressing to see the two Russian men claiming to have been in Salisbury to look at a 123 foot spire and an old clock! There is really only one credible reason to visit Salisbury and that is because the Cathedral was painted twice by John Constable. The second painting  (immediately below) is about 10 years’ later than the more famous Hay Wain which, incidentally, was in the news not so long ago for having a photo glued to it by Fathers4Justice.

Constable_Salisbury_meadows.jpg

The other painting was done in 1823; it is a bit brighter. This version (in the V&A) was, nevertheless, considered a bit “dark” and there are brighter versions without the dark clouds currently in Brazil and New York.

450px-John_Constable_017.jpg

 

Finished teddy

A cross between Rackham and Mabel Attwell

teddybears to PRINT.jpg

Prolific and cute, eventually picked up by cleaning products, Mabel Lucie Attwell is among the great british illustrators of the early 1900s. Like Rackham, she also illustrated JM Barrie’s “Peter and Wendy”. She also produced stuff for the illustrated London News and Tatler.

I found this today

dionysosdisHere are a few lyrics from the old musical treatment of the Bacchae together with a copy of a statue from the Louvre (2nd century roman so not very authentic)

2nd century roman copy in Louvre by TIM.jpg

This is what Disney dis with the charcter of Dionysos/Bacchus

tribute to ward kimball bacchus by TIM.jpg

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And A Heinrich Kley inspiration: Disney returned from a European trip in 1935 with a wealth of illustrated books and certainly the alligator scene in the Dance of the Hours owes a deal to Kley. There is even a link between a picture of Kley’s and Chernabog in the night on a bare mountain sequence which otherwise owes more to Kay Neilson. A Puck illustration shows a hippopotamus checking herself in a looking glass, shades of “Dance of the hours”.

Heinrich-Kley-Bacchus.jpg