From the Shadow Gallery:
So, at the behest of a friend, I went to see V for Vendetta over the weekend. Not bad. Entertaining in the style of The Matrix. (thank you, Wachowski Brothers.... errr Wachowski Siblings.) A bit over-the-top at times. Well written, though, with plenty of eloquent dialogue for Hugo Weaving to play with--as only Agent Smith could in a Wachowski film. (yes, the allusion's made to Keanu "I know kung-fu" Reeves.)
I got a kick out of V's hideout, which was filled with objets d'art rescued from the censors of the oppressive British regime. I believe I recognized a few of them:
Caravaggio's Sick Bacchus (though this painting is at the Borghese in Rome):
(Caravaggio is one of my favorites, btw.)
Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait (which is at the National Gallery in London):
Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott (from the Tate Gallery):
I also spied an unidentified St. Sebastian--inevitably French or Italian--as well as what looks to be a seascape by Claude Gellee (dit Lorrain). This makes sense since he was a major influence on JMW Turner, probably the most famous English romantic landscape artist. And, of course, Turner had to be in there since he painted The Burning of the Houses of Parliament:
I'm pretty sure the version used in the movie was this one form the Clore Gallery in London. In any case, the little Jewish girl from Syosset blew up Parliament in the end, hence the suggestive iconography.
As nothing should wind up on set by accident, the thoughtful viewer should ask him or herself "To what purpose are these paintings included in the story?" or "What am I supposed to understand from their inclusion?"
I'm sure this point was lost on the majority of stoners who went out to see the flm. (Whoa, dude, the guy lives in like a museum and shit. Think about how much that painting's worth. I'd buy like a new car and a house with it. I wouldn't have to work or nothin'.)
The one part they might have got was the scene where Natalie Portman stands next to the painting of a young nude girl. (didn't recognize this one, but check it out for yourself.) I mean, the juxtoposition was rather blatant, but I supposed it worked even for those stuck in a drug-induced stupor.
One last painting. Drop me a line, Stitch fans, if you figure out who painted this one:
Remember, remember, the 5th of November....
This entry was posted
on Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 6:29 PM.
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You're feeling all Dionysian aren't you? It's Titian's "Bacchus and Ariadne, no? I forget the story - why are they so worked up? Why people be throwimng things?
The jeune nu looks Northern. That really narrows it down, I know. Sorry I'm no help.
Btw, Delacroix deserves no such smear as I gave him, inadvertant or not, but Gericault's boating accident still kicks his picture's ass.
Caravaggio - lusty and violent Italians, what's not to like?
You could do an entire post on mise en scene. Does a good auteur really leave nothing to chance? I always feel some of the best elements in a work come up unconciously, but in concert with planning, research and good editing.
My tarot card reading friend looked at your spread. Don't want to write anything too personal here, but she said it regards ways of relating to the opposite sex. An event with a woman (reversed Knight of Cups) triggering a re-evaluation of that, and a turning inward. The hierophant represents greater introspection about what you really want in matters of the heart, as well as thinking about the "mysteries."
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