Category: Performing Existence

The Judgement of Paris (1967), Honoré Sharrer

Honoré Sharrer’s “The Judgement of Paris” is an original large-scale surrealist oil painting that depicts and reinterprets the Judgement of Paris, an integral moment in Greek mythology. The Greek goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite mock Paris, who is attempting to decide which of the three goddesses deserves the coveted golden apple, by performing an absurd caricature of Paris’ expectations of women and “thereby comically assert their independence” (lib.rochester.edu) in doing so. Sharrer (1920-2009) was “a major art world figure in 1940’s America” (Wolfe, Subversion and Surrealism in the Art of Honoré Sharrer) whose use of vibrant color and surrealist style is clearly employed in the reimagination of this classic scene. Sharrer emphasizes the performative aspect of competition through the depiction of the three goddesses’ fluid, dance-like movement which is juxtaposed against Paris’ still, seated position. The performance of gender identity is subtly explored in this piece, evident in the goddesses’ competitive performance for Paris and in the strategic use of color which forces the audience to focus upon Athena, Aphrodite, and Heras’ movements as opposed to the coveted golden apple that lays casually in the corner of the painting. Sharrer’s depiction of Paris serves to satirize male arrogance by highlighting female independence and power.

Mariana (1851), by John Everett Millais. (Reproduction)

Sir John Everett Millais’ “Mariana” is an oil painting on mahogany of Mariana, a character from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure who served as inspiration for Tennyson’s poem “Mariana”. In this painting, Mariana stands solemnly with an arched back before a set of stained glass windows that depict “Annunciation, contrasting the Virgin’s fulfilment with Mariana’s frustration and longing” (tate.org.uk, “Mariana”) for her lost love, Angelo. Mariana is depicted in a dance-like form evident in her pointed foot and elongated neck. This graceful, almost performative position serves to emphasize the artistry and grace in everyday action. Millais (1829-1896) aimed to capture the themes of despair and yearning that are integral to Mariana’s character. The symbolic snowdrop in the window and the triptych in the foreground of the painting represents the themes of yearning prominent in Mariana’s character and relates “indirectly to John Keats’ narrative poem The Eve of St. Agnes” (tate.org.uk, “Mariana”) that also explores the themes of yearning and despair. The performance of such heartbreaking emotions is subtly accentuated through Mariana’s elegant, dance-like pose.

Triptych: The Eve of St. Agnes (1856), by Arthur Hughes. (Reproduction)

Arthur Hughes’ “Triptych: The Eve of St. Agnes” is an oil paint on canvas painting, inspired by John Keats’ poem “The Eve of St. Agnes”, published in 1820. Hughes’ triptych painting depicts three separate scenes from Keats’ poem in which “Porphyro is shown into Madeline’s chamber by her nurse; in the centre, Madeline wakes from her dream and finds her imaginary lover is real; on the right, the pair escape from the castle” (artuk.org, “The Eve of St. Agnes”). The illustration of Keats’ poem through the form of triptych serves to bring the audience into the performance through that act of viewing the painting. Each scene depicted within the painting is drawn behind windows, and as we peer in through the triptych’s windows, we notice the windows illustrated within each of the three scenes. The audience mirrors the performances portrayed within each triptych, and joins the performance by interacting with the art. A triptych is typically painted on an alter, and the way a worshipper interacts with a triptych in church is ritual. Ritual is a form of efficacious or transformative performance – it is a performance that does more than just represent. In this piece, the ritual of performance is examined through the painting itself and in the relationship shared between the viewer and the art.

Codex Manesse (c. 1300 – 1340) (Reproductions)

The Codex Manesse (Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Cod. Pal. germ. 848) is one of the most important surviving medieval German manuscripts, as it contains the largest collection of Middle High German ballads and epigrammatic poetry. It is the sole extant source for many of the poems contained therein. It was created in the fourteenth century, and contains poems from 140 different poets. Its verses are illustrated by four anonymous artists, including the so-called Foundation Painter, who created 110 of the manuscript’s miniatures. The three paintings selected for this exhibit were chosen because they highlight the intersections of performing religious and secular identity. Many of the images contain iconography that is shared across depictions of religious celebration and courtly life, just as the same melodies were recycled for performance in church and in court. These three paintings depict the significance of dance and musical instruments in the ritualistic performance of courtly celebration, and the shared elements of those celebrations with religious ritual. These pieces lead us to recognize that the beauty of performance is integral to the expression of human identity.

Folio 399 recto

This illustration focuses upon the significance of music and hierarchy entangled in the performance of identity. The King sits elevated above the performers, and directs them with his staff as they perform and look up toward him for guidance. This image shares iconographical resonance with similar miniatures in religious manuscripts, including both depictions of God as Ruler and the musical performance of the Old Testament Psalms.

Folio 271 recto

A man, woman, and child gaze at each other while playing instruments. While this is a secular scene, they are involved in a complicated performance of courtship that draws heavily upon the musical tradition developed by composers who set religious texts to melody. This miniature highlights the crossovers between art and music as integral to the performance of both religious and secular expression, as they draw upon the same aesthetic artifacts.

Folio 312 recto

In this illustration, a musican plays his viol while one woman dances and another enjoys the performance. While this is likely a secular performance, the music would have been familiar to its listeners through both its performance in court and in church. Music is able to connect humans to heaven — to transcendent experiences — through performance.

King Richard the Third Act IV Scene III (1790), painted by James Northcote and engraved by Francis Legat.

Francis Legat’s “King Richard the Third Act IV Scene III” is an eighteenth century line and stipple engraving with hand coloring, done after the painting by James Northcote (currently in the Tate Gallery). It depicts a moment from Shakespeare’s play, King Richard the Third in which two young boys sleep peacefully as two villains prepare to kidnap them. The theme of performance of life is emphasized in this painting through the obvious allusion to Shakespeare’s world renowned play. The painting captures the last peaceful moments before the young boys’ lives are irrevocably changed which highlights the delicacy of life through the form of visual art. Legat’s engraving focuses upon the delicacy of humanity in this particular moment of the performance of Shakespeare’s play. The University of Rochester’s Rossell Hope Robbins Library Koller-Collins Collection maintains an original print of this absolutely beautiful engraving.

Romeo and Juliet Suite (1979), Ádám Würtz

Ádám Würtz’s “Romeo and Juliet Suite” is a series of fourteen color etchings that illustrate significant scenes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The attention drawn to moments in Romeo and Juliet, highlights the humanity of performance art by examining the form through the lens of visual art. Shakespeare’s words are humanized through Wurtz’s artistic capabilities as he emphasizes the moments of performing the human condition that are evident throughout Romeo and Juliet. These illustrations are combined with text from the scenes being represented which forces the audience to reexamine Shakespeare’s words from a more imaginative perspective. Würtz (1927-1994), a Hungarian artist, was  greatly influenced by both Surrealism and Primitivism (artoftheprint.com). He employed the use of color etching and aquatint on heavy woven paper to capture the performance of Shapespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Würtz’s “Romeo and Juliet Suite” series can be found hanging in chronological order along the walls of Rossell Hope Robbins Library and Koller-Collins Center for English Studies.

IV

This etching depicts Act 1 Scene 4 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in which Mercutio performs an impassioned recounting of Queen Mab of the fairies as Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio, all adorned in masks, attempt to sneak into the Capulet’s feast. Maks are central to Würtz’s interpretation of this scene and represent the theme of performing a false identity.

V

In this portrayal of Act 2 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, Würtz highlights Romeo’s dramatic performance of love by prominently featuring a celestial illustration of the zodiac in the center of his piece. The emphasis surrounding the sun and moon in Würtz’s etching serves to represent Romeo’s use of “light” and “dark” imagery employed in performing his feelings for Juliet.

_{^{Commedia Dell’Arte (1986), Joseph A. Pecsenke}}

Joseph A. Pescenke’s Commedia Dell’Arte series is a set of twenty-four images, each printed in two states for a total of forty-eight etchings that depict and are inspired by commedia dell’arte, the popular form of Italian theatrical performance. This theatrical genre emerged during the fifteenth century, and is characterized by stock characters, plots, and improvised dialogue. Pecsenke (1942-1989), a Hungarian theater actor and director, was inspired by the works of the dramatic tradition born from commedia dell’arte; this influence is obviously apparent in his Commedia Dell’Arte series, which highlights moments of life that are clearly performance-centered. Each image depicts an aspect of either commedia dell’arte performance or preparation, including portraits of stock characters, depictions of performances, rehearsals, preparation for performance, and the performance itself. This series highlights the intersection between life and performance. This series was published in 1986 and our copy is 89/150.

XXI-A

In this piece, the preparation for performance is illustrated through the depiction of the crafting of traditional commedia dell’arte masks in the foreground and in the tightrope walker’s rehearsal in the background.

XII-B

XVI-A

The concept of human life as a performance is emphasized by the depiction of a completely masked audience watching a masked stock character that stands in the forefront of this etching while the acrobatic performers display their talents in the background and are completely ignored. The focus on the stock character’s obvious performance and the overlooking of the acrobatic performers, highlights that subtle displays of performance are commonly ignored and misunderstood in everyday life.

III-A

The illustration of the masked stock character of Colombina in this etching highlights performance through the stillness of pose and costume.

XI-B

A tightrope walker performs his skill “Among Roman Ruins” as musicians and actors practice below him. The juxtaposition of the ancient, decrepit buildings against the liveliness of the performers’ talents emphasizes the theme of performance as an integral, absolute aspect of human identity and existence.

XIV-B

Two stock characters dance and perform before a completely masked audience, highlighting the concept and theme of spectators contributing and actively participating in the performance they are engaging with.