I made a complete idiot of myself last week, because I didn't read and revise the research properly that I had carried out on the, 'Cursed Human,' so I decided to carefully document and revise everything that inspired me when it came to creating my character, in a bid to make up for last week's poor performance.
Because the 'Cursed Human' is based on a tortured soul, closely connected with the Devil, I wanted to find some deeply pessimistic etchings and paintings depicting the suffering in the underworld. Looking through Google Images, I came across a late 18th / early 19th century Spanish painter / Sculptor called, Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes. Although, originally part of the 'Romanticism movement, Goya later became dark and very negative, and this is where I found some wonderful pieces to inspire me.
In the painting below, a poor, wretched man is holding a white sheet above his head, presumably in an attempt to protect himself from the three witches above, who are attacking another seemingly defenceless victim. The white sheet reminds me of what children do when they are frighted at bedtime, which is to hide beneath the bed-sheets, or the myth of the Ostrich that buries its head in the sand, imagining it can't be seen by anything, simply because, it can't see anything. This has given me an idea!
Goya - Witches in the Air
Just above is a piece by, Pieter Brugel (Brueghel) the Elder, called, 'The Same God that he Obtained of the Magus was by Demons be Pulled in Pieces. What a fantastic title! One reason I was drawn to this Dutch & Flemish Renaissance painter and printmaker, was because of a painting by his son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, titled, 'Die Kinderspiel,' loosely interpreted as, 'The Children Playing', which a copy hangs in my hall at home.
Below, left is an etching by, Gustave Dore, titled, 'Paradise Lost Satan.' I must admit, although the etching drew some inspiration, I thought the title was wicked! Which brings me onto the other etching, bottom left, by, Jacob de Gehyn II, called, 'The Devil Sewing Mushrooms.' I'm not quite sure what it is, but these titles completely drew me in, excuse the pun!
Baphomet
Baphomet is a mythical supernatural being, used by Satanists to worship the Devil. Characterised with the body of a man, the breasts of a woman and human arms, each of which are tattooed on the underside, conveying the Latin words 'SOLVE,' (right arm), meaning dissolve, and 'COAGULA', (left arm), meaning congeal. With the head of a goat, proudly exhibiting the magnificent spiral horns of an Antelope, the Baphomet sits crossed-legged on a stone hemisphere, which represents the Earth, boastfully displaying its menacing wings whilst pointing upwards, with its right-arm outstretched, using the index and medius fingers held straight, to the light moon, whilst simultaneously pointing down towards to the dark moon with its left arm outstretched, using the index and medius fingers, also held straight.
Hieronymous Bosch
http://iampetjack.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/10/
The above triptych is the popular subject titled, 'The Temptation of St. Anthony,' oil on panel, painted by Hieronymous Bosch circa.1501. I say popular, because the subject matter has been a choice of several artists, both before and after the paint dried on this one. In fact, Bosch himself had painted this subject before, approximately eleven years earlier circa. 1490. A later artist, Salvador Dali, went on to paint his even weirder version in 1946. The reason I mention that, is this is another print I have hanging a wall at home. The reason I was drawn to this, wasn't the religious connotations exactly, although the, Cursed Human is based on such strong undertones, what actually attracted me was the hopelessness the figures within the painting imply, which gave me ideas for my character.
Chestnut Crushing Shoes
I was looking for Victorian torture devices, when I came across these beauties. I figure these will look just the part on my character's feet.
0 comments:
Post a Comment