Two interesting people
Two interesting people whom have occupied my mindspace for quite awhile now: Alessandro Farnese and Sebastian of Portugal. The former was, I feel, a vital, essential figure in the brilliant goings-on in the complicated politics of sixteenth-century Europe although I have not managed to find many books concerning him and his life; the latter exists almost solely as a dream-image of some sort, I know next to nothing of him and always I find myself leaning, closer and closer in, hoping to see more.
I came upon them a few months ago when I was looking up the history of the sixteenth century on my computer, I'm usually too stingy to buy books on the subject (and anyway, bookstores don't seem to share my interests) and the library does not stock many of the books that I want. "Finding" someone usually involves clicking randomly through the web encyclopaedia, once in awhile, I see something I like. In Farnese's case, it was really the image of his head cropped off a portrait of him as a boy, probably around fourteen to fifteen years old (curiously, I was fifteen as well at the time), that compelled me to read the rather lengthy entry on him.
Beginning with the portrait--it may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AlexanderFarnese.jpg
I felt in my heart that it was an interesting, intelligent face that promised quite something (which is really what a good portrait is supposed to do--be engaging). It was purely the image that enchanted me, not so flat and musty--as most portraits of the time were--as to completely shut the viewer out and leave her lost in unfamiliar territory, but with the clarity of gaze--and steel beneath the gaze--to lend the painted figure some kind of awareness and consciousness. Farnese seems wary here, but not weary as he would be nearing his death. The portrait opens into nothing, leaving us only the young prince standing against the shadows so that the place seems dimensionless and yet with infinite dimension; it gives us enough space to keep walking on, closer in and closer in...and yet, being only a portrait, it keeps us away. We cannot enter that painted, still world where Farnese stands. And truly, he offers no invitation. I did not think of all this at the time I saw the portrait, I am only giving my feelings an in-depth look now as I write this. Thoughts have been corrected, superimposed, what was no longer is; I suppose these are my thoughts now. Going back--am I being too romantic here? Perhaps, but this is what the portrait made me feel.
Farnese himself is not a pleasant person. He was a shrewd, unscrupulous statesman, no saint, and a brilliant military man as well--while conducting the siege of Antwerp, he constructed that famous bridge of boats around the harbour to prevent any ships from coming in. This prevented traders from entering the harbour to trade and it also prevented any attacks from sea. The image of the tied-together boats bobbing up and down in the sea, fencing off the coast of Antwerp is particularly surrealistic, and I remember it, clear as that day I never saw; clouds bright with sun in the sky, the sea below, and the line of boats floating as if in that mirrored light, so dazzling as to appear dream-like. This sticks.
I cannot recall exact facts, my memory is foggy where I do not often cross or otherwise tread through too often so that I end up embroidering and re-embroidering so that it becomes more legend than truth. I do not like the prospect of propagating wrongness. Read the rest of it here:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr?tt=url&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.provincia.parma.it%2Fscuole%2Fssbodon3%2Fwww%2Fnome%2FGIARDINO4%2Fs-alessandro.htm&lp=it_en&lang=&rt=http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.provincia.parma.it%2Fscuole%2Fssbodon3%2Fwww%2Fnome%2FGIARDINO4%2Fs-alessandro.htm&kgs=0&kls=0 (not very convenient, I ran it through the search engine translator so that now it's wonky, but if you can read Italian, by all means: http://www.provincia.parma.it/scuole/ssbodon3/www/nome/GIARDINO4/s-alessandro.htm. Otherwise, check up John Lothrop Morley's books, the links (which did not work for me) and the titles can be found on Wikipedia.
I'll write an entry on Sebastian tomorrow, perhaps.
I came upon them a few months ago when I was looking up the history of the sixteenth century on my computer, I'm usually too stingy to buy books on the subject (and anyway, bookstores don't seem to share my interests) and the library does not stock many of the books that I want. "Finding" someone usually involves clicking randomly through the web encyclopaedia, once in awhile, I see something I like. In Farnese's case, it was really the image of his head cropped off a portrait of him as a boy, probably around fourteen to fifteen years old (curiously, I was fifteen as well at the time), that compelled me to read the rather lengthy entry on him.
Beginning with the portrait--it may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AlexanderFarnese.jpg
I felt in my heart that it was an interesting, intelligent face that promised quite something (which is really what a good portrait is supposed to do--be engaging). It was purely the image that enchanted me, not so flat and musty--as most portraits of the time were--as to completely shut the viewer out and leave her lost in unfamiliar territory, but with the clarity of gaze--and steel beneath the gaze--to lend the painted figure some kind of awareness and consciousness. Farnese seems wary here, but not weary as he would be nearing his death. The portrait opens into nothing, leaving us only the young prince standing against the shadows so that the place seems dimensionless and yet with infinite dimension; it gives us enough space to keep walking on, closer in and closer in...and yet, being only a portrait, it keeps us away. We cannot enter that painted, still world where Farnese stands. And truly, he offers no invitation. I did not think of all this at the time I saw the portrait, I am only giving my feelings an in-depth look now as I write this. Thoughts have been corrected, superimposed, what was no longer is; I suppose these are my thoughts now. Going back--am I being too romantic here? Perhaps, but this is what the portrait made me feel.
Farnese himself is not a pleasant person. He was a shrewd, unscrupulous statesman, no saint, and a brilliant military man as well--while conducting the siege of Antwerp, he constructed that famous bridge of boats around the harbour to prevent any ships from coming in. This prevented traders from entering the harbour to trade and it also prevented any attacks from sea. The image of the tied-together boats bobbing up and down in the sea, fencing off the coast of Antwerp is particularly surrealistic, and I remember it, clear as that day I never saw; clouds bright with sun in the sky, the sea below, and the line of boats floating as if in that mirrored light, so dazzling as to appear dream-like. This sticks.
I cannot recall exact facts, my memory is foggy where I do not often cross or otherwise tread through too often so that I end up embroidering and re-embroidering so that it becomes more legend than truth. I do not like the prospect of propagating wrongness. Read the rest of it here:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr?tt=url&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.provincia.parma.it%2Fscuole%2Fssbodon3%2Fwww%2Fnome%2FGIARDINO4%2Fs-alessandro.htm&lp=it_en&lang=&rt=http://www.altavista.com/web/results?itag=ody&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.provincia.parma.it%2Fscuole%2Fssbodon3%2Fwww%2Fnome%2FGIARDINO4%2Fs-alessandro.htm&kgs=0&kls=0 (not very convenient, I ran it through the search engine translator so that now it's wonky, but if you can read Italian, by all means: http://www.provincia.parma.it/scuole/ssbodon3/www/nome/GIARDINO4/s-alessandro.htm. Otherwise, check up John Lothrop Morley's books, the links (which did not work for me) and the titles can be found on Wikipedia.
I'll write an entry on Sebastian tomorrow, perhaps.
posted by fairypenguin at 1:49 AM
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