Giovanni: A shop/writing den in Tokyo

Nakamichi Street in Tokyo. A quaint shop filled with Italian posters, papers, calligraphy pens...

Giovanni: Buongiorno.

Masa: Buongiorno. I'm quite interested in traditional Italian papers, especially those from Fabriano.

Giovanni: Ah, Fabriano. You have good taste. 

Masa: I've used Fabriano papers for my watercolor paintings. Nice texture.

Giovanni: Aha. An artist, you are then. Most people just come in and take a look at the posters and wander off. But I like it this way. It gives me plenty of time to work on a novel I'm writing.

Masa: A novel?

Giovanni: Set in Italy during the Renaissance.

Masa: I've always found novels to be a wonderful way to learn about other cultures and times.

Giovanni: Novels paint us into different worlds and eras. But my novel is a labor of love, and this shop serves as my writing den. It's quiet, and I can immerse myself in the world of Renaissance Italy while minding the shop.

Masa: Nice. Writing a novel set in Renaissance Italy while running a shop, great. What’s the plot of the novel?

Giovanni: It's a tale of intrigue, art, and love set in Florence during the height of the Renaissance. Character-heavy. It's my way of bringing a piece of Italy here to Tokyo.

_________

Voice-over

And the conversation ends with an exchange of names and contacts. Scribed on a slips of Fabriano paper with a quill pen.

Renaissance works from the Corsini Collection

Pictures at an exhibition...

Botticelli, c1500:
Madonna and Six Angels

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Simonetta: Nice collection. With Botticelli as a centerpiece.

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Giorgio: The Madonna? Your favorite here?

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Simonetta: It’s a latter work of his. When he’d switched from classical themes such as Birth of Venus and Primavera.

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Ghirlandaio, c1540:
Portrait of an Unknown Man

Giorgio: Ornate compositions. Lot of background. A lot of symbols. What a contrast to the portraits. Like the .

Ghirlandaio of an unknown young man. No background. Just a realistic face.

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Simonetta: Yes. Botticelli could do realism, could do portraits. But it seems he preferred idealism.

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Voice-over

An interesting curation of works from the Corsini collection in Florence blending into various works held by the art gallery and other collectors in Auckland. Ranging from 1300s to the 1960s. Read the 118-page pdf of labels here before you go. Helpful.

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The Primavera as Classical Narrative

C  -----------  B  ------------- A

In a Medici courtyard…

Sandro: The picture is classical and the plot is likewise classical.

Lorenzo: How say you?

Sandro: It is a right to left narration.

Lorenzo: We read from left to right.

Sandro: Direction does not matter. Harken to the story. At right, there is Zephyrus, the March wind. He captures Chloris and she becomes the goddess of spring, Flora. See, she scatters roses thus.

Lorenzo: And the woman at the center of the story?

Sandro: It is no earthly woman. That is Venus, attended by the Three Graces.

Lorenzo: They seem to spurn Chloris.

Sandro: Nay, they turn their backs on Zephyrus with his earthy love. Instead, they lean towards Mercury who loves knowledge.

__________

Voice-over

The Primavera is a depiction of one part of Ovid’s Fasti, a poem explaining the earlier Roman (not Julian) calendar. It is linear, and thus classical, beginning in January and ending in June. But critics say in places it is so allegorical as to border on erroneous. As such, Ovid’s narrative is also said to be fragmentary and difficult. He left it unfinished. Post-classical narrative?

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Idealism and Spiritualism, Realism and Secularism

I've hurt my hand!

Christ’s life in a nutshell

Jesus Christ was born in a cattle trough 2000 years ago. Three men, believing a Messiah was born, followed a star to pay homage. Christ worked as a carpenter until he was 30. He then traveled as an itinerant preacher, inspiring through parables, doing almost miraculous deeds. Religious leaders grew jealous of his popularity. A disciple, Judas, betrayed his whereabouts, he was arrested, tried, and crucified. And died, but came to life after three days and ascended into Heaven.

__________

Voice-over

Themes of Renaissance paintings depict Christ’s birth (Nativity, Adoration) and the last four years of his life (Miracles, Betrayal, Trial, Crucifixion, Ascent). These pictures imprint images of Christ’s birth and last years on popular culture.

Little is known of the years from Christ’s birth to the age of 30: the time he was a carpenter (or artisan). Naturally enough, pictures of his life in this period are also rare. An exception is John Everett Millais' Christ in the House of His Parents in the Pre-Raphaelite style, noted for its realism.

Not surprisingly, the periods for which Christ is famous are portrayed in epic or idealistic manner. His ordinary life is depicted in a realistic style.

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