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El poeta y dramaturgo José Zorrilla nació en Valladolid en el año 1817. Una de sus obras mas conocidas: "Don Juan Tenorio". Pintando su estatua en la plaza que lleva su nombre.
Painting Zorrilla in his second centenary.
The poet and playwright José Zorrilla was born in Valladolid in the year 1817. One of his best-known works: "Don Juan Tenorio". Painting his statue in the square that bears his name.
Valladolid. Castilla y León. España.
Strasbourg Cathedral (officially theCathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg) is quite a sight to behold. French poet and playwright Paul Claudel called the Gothic edifice a "pinky-red angel hovering over the city." Goethe declared it to be "composed of a thousand harmonizing details" and "like the most sublime, wide-spreading tree of God, proclaiming the glory of the Lord."
Schiller Park is a tiny park in the St. Joseph's Park Neighborhood downtown. It was originally called Franklin Square.
Schiller Park's name is comes from a bust of Freidrich von Schiller, a German poet and playwright. He was born in 1759 and died in 1805. Local German-American societies commissioned the bust in the early 1900s and installed it in Anderson Park, located at the corner of Main Street and University Avenue. Unfortunately, Anderson Park was largely destroyed by the construction of the Inner Loop in 1968 and the monument was subsequently moved.
Today, the little plot that is Schiller Park is all that remains of Franklin Square, once a center of the German-American community 121
Poet, Activist,Novelist,Playwright and Columnist. Defining the new spoken word and giving a voice to voiceless..Shouting loud and Roaring like a Lion with Soft Spoken words..and depth of soul and passion..A Fitting example of an American Great For Black History Month
It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.
Oscar Wilde.
Last of the series but not the least. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them. Thank you all for your kind thoughts.
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was a prolific Irish writer who wrote plays, fiction, essays, and poetry. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death.
Wilde's parents were successful Anglo-Irish, Dublin intellectuals. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life. At university, Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on the new "English Renaissance in Art", and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversation, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely, and combine them with larger social themes, drew Wilde to write drama. He wrote Salome (1891) in French in Paris but it was refused a licence for England due to the absolute prohibition of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Unperturbed, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London. Source Wikipedia.
Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would exclusively produce Canadian plays, but it soon became a widely emulated policy by other theatre companies. Factory quickly became known as the home of the Canadian playwright, and is especially associated with George F. Walker, most of whose plays premiered there
Architect Gundry and Langley designed the building in 1869. J.M. Cowan is considered the subsequent architect/consultant.
Factory Theatre consists of two main buildings. The first is the original 1896 house and the second is the 1910 addition. The building is also known as the John Mulvey House. It was given heritage status by the Ontario Heritage Board in 1987.
The original house was constructed in a classic Queen Anne Gothic design for the prominent Toronto merchant John Mulvey in 1869.
It is attributed to architects Gundry & Langley. The house’s architectural features include:
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From the world’s famous playwright (previous image) to its famous writer ........
My decades ago visit to Tolstoy’s Moscow home was a pilgrimage. It didn’t go smoothly. Wet snow was falling and the afternoon darkening. 'Dom Tolstova, Ulitsa Lva Tolstova pazhalusta' - that to the taxi driver – what could be clearer? But we were not going south across the river, we were in the wrong district, where was he heading? Then he proudly pulled up at an 'Alexei' Tolstoy’s house. Alexei was apparently a distant Tolstoy relative exploiting the famous name and an associate of Stalin. Nyet! Nyet!
The snow thickened, the sky darkened another stop. Aided by the hindrance of my non-Cyrillic street map and - better - directions from a policeman, he eventually got there. Well not quite! Snow had blocked the road so it was a final trudge on foot through its wetness. No problem – everyone should suffer on a pilgrimage!
Count Lev Tolstoy bought his Moscow home in 1882, years after writing War and Peace (1867). Countess Sonya nagged him into it. It was necessary for their children’s education as his ancestral estate, Yasnaya Polyana, was 200 km from Moscow and isolated. Etc. Etc..
However, she was not pleased with his choice! The large brown painted wooden house had no running water. It was in a (then) unfashionable industrial district with the mixed smells of a nearby perfume distillery and a brewery. A stocking factory no doubt contributed its noise for each morning the family was awakened by factory whistles. The master was already long up chopping wood, fetching water and being the peasant.
Still, the Countess enjoyed Moscow society. She held frequent soirees where she entertained Russia’s artistic elite. The cantankerous Count was less enthusiastic. There is a cobbler's bench at the top of the stairs outside his study – a hobby of his. There is a probably apocryphal story that he would indulge in the noisy hammering of shoe making during her gatherings.
The images on that darkening snowy day are rescued from ancient print film. Once inside his house, I had an overwhelming feeling of deja vu – it was all so homely and familiar - perhaps from reading his works for so long.
It got too dark to grab a precious photograph of his study on my 100 ISO film. The house had no electricity as it was left as it was after his death. Instead the inset image of Tolstoy in that study at the very same desk is a painting of 1884 by Nikolai Ge in the Tretyakov Gallery.
From here the Danish poet, playwright and Lutheran pastor Kaj Munk was picked up on the evening of 4 January 1944 by five people from a German SS terrorist patrol. He was shot in a plantation near the Jutland town of Silkeborg. Kaj Munk is remembered as one of the foremost intellectual opponents of the German occupation of Denmark. The Danish government allowed his widow, Lise, and the children to live at the parish house. Lise died in 1998.
Louis Nebel was later identified as the one who fired the killing shots. Towards the end of the war, he was hired by the American intelligence service, OSS, as a double agent. The OSS made persistent attempts to avoid Louis Nebel being extradited to Denmark. However, he was handed over and sentenced to a ridiculously short prison sentence of 12 years, even though he originally faced the death penalty. He was released after six years!
The sculpture "Aspazija in dunes" (Aspazija kāpās), which is dedicated to the outstanding Latvian poet and playwright Aspazija, is located in a spot overlooking the sea as well as the house of Aspazija herself, where the poetess spent the last decade of her life. The sculpture in the dunes can also be seen from the veranda window of Aspazija's house.
The sculpture of Aspazija was created by the Jūrmala sculptor Olga Šilova, and the landscaping plan of the area was carried out by architect Martha Kotello. In the bronze sculpture, Olga Šilova has succeeded to portray Aspazija's bright personality and outstanding talent, as well as her youthful and noble beauty. A cat sits at Aspazija's feet to symbolise not only the love that the poetess had for these pets but also to give the sculpture a dimension of human emotions.
A wooden boardwalk leads up to the sculpture, and there are benches next to it. A wooden terrace runs around the sculpture, which successfully incorporates it into the surrounding landscape or forest and dunes. During the dark time of the day, the territory is illuminated to create a peaceful and romantic mood.
Oscar Wilde is an Irish poet and playwright. He is regarded as one of the greatest producers of Irish literature.
Oscar Wilde est un poète et dramaturge irlandais. Il est considéré comme l'un des plus grands créateurs de littérature irlandaise.
NO Photoshop !... Shot at dusk ! ! ... NO manipulations ! ! !
" A map of the world that does not include Utopia* is not worth even glancing at,
for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. "
..........Oscar Wilde.....( 1854 - 1900 ).
.....Anglo-Irish poet, playwright, novelist.
..........' The Fortnightly Review '.....( Feb. 1891 ).
*Utopia is a place of ideal perfection !...:-) .
..........Grateful thanks to all my contacts, friends & all flickr members for their continued support that this image has made Explore. Really appreciated. Thanks to ALL. Thanks EVERYONE.
Not easy to find the real name of this place. Noise reduction and sharpening by Topaz Labs. Truly amazing tools.
Regno Unito, Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, Primavera 2014
Stratford-upon-Avon è una città di mercato a Warwickshire, in Inghilterra, sul fiume Avon. Nel 1196 fu concessa una carta da Re Riccardo I per tenere un mercato settimanale in città. Di conseguenza, Stratford ha sperimentato un aumento del commercio così come dell'espansione urbana. La città è una nota destinazione turistica per aver dato i natali al drammaturgo e poeta inglese William Shakespeare, e riceve circa 2,5 milioni di visitatori all'anno.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in Warwickshire, England, on the River Avon. In 1196 it was granted a charter from King Richard I to hold a weekly market in the town. As a result, Stratford experienced an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion. The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and receives approximately 2.5 million visitors a year.
William Shakespeare
was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company. At age 49 around 1613, he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613.
In my photograph a typical building in Stratford, a town known worldwide.
William Shakespeare
fue un dramaturgo, poeta y actor inglés. Se le considera el mejor escritor en lengua inglesa y el dramaturgo más destacado del mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas a todos los idiomas principales vivos y se representan con más frecuencia que las de cualquier otro dramaturgo. Podría decirse que sigue siendo el escritor más influyente en lengua inglesa, y sus obras continúan siendo estudiadas y reinterpretadas.
Shakespeare nació y creció en Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire. En algún momento entre 1585 y 1592, comenzó una exitosa carrera en Londres como actor, escritor y copropietario de una compañía teatral. A la edad de 49 años alrededor de 1613, parece haberse retirado a Stratford, donde murió tres años después.
Shakespeare produjo la mayoría de sus obras conocidas entre 1589 y 1613. En mi fotografia un edificio tipico de Stratford, pueblo conocido mundialmente
Three hundred years from the birth of the great venetian playwright (February 25 th 1707).
He has written very pleasant and immortal things in venetian, in italian, in french language.
Poet and playwright Robert Frost is buried at The Old First Church in Bennington, Vermont. Robert Lee Frost born 1874, died 1963 at 88. Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. In 1961 he was named poet laureate of Vermont. His works are many, including "The Road Not Taken." Information from Wikipedia
I had just arrived in the State of Vermont literally a few minutes earlier. The road brought me to the front of this beautiful and historic Old First Church with this cemetery adjacent. I could have stayed here for hours, but unfortunately it was already getting late and I had no place to stay so had to attend to that via apps on my phone. I had hoped to return the next day, but many times things don't work out the way you think. At least I'm glad I was able to see this much. It was so beautiful.
It might be the 2nd tallest monument to an author in the world, but when standing under this giant Gothic monument in Edinburgh, it leaves little doubt that Sir Walter Scott was first in the hearts of Scots. Completed in 1844, the monument pays homage to one of the country's most beloved novelists, poets, playwrights, and historians.
© LMGFotography 2017; please do not use without permission.
[EXPLORED] November 28th, 2020
Dedicated to my beloved German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre Director BERTOLT BRECKT
HIDE AND SEEK WITH MY PLAYMATE SUN
About Hotel des Artistes, 1 West 67th Street
One of the city's most famous and illustrious buildings, the Hotel Des Artistes is the largest "studio" building in the city and was designed as an artist's cooperative apartment building.The 18-story building has 115 apartments, most duplexes with double-height living rooms and balcony bedrooms. It is one of several such "studio" buildings on the block between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue designed by George Mort Pollard.
The base of the building's façade is decorated with many figures of artists and many of the apartments have English Renaissance-style paneling, beamed ceilings and fireplaces.
Among the building's many famous residents have been Isadora Duncan, the dancer, Noel Coward, the playwright, writer Fannie Hurst, who had a very large triplex penthouse, New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay, writer Alexander Woollcott, and Norman Rockwell, the artist. Artist Howard Chandler Christy, an early resident, painted murals for the building's famous restaurant, Café des Artistes.
Better known by his pen name Serafí Pitarra, Frederic Soler was a Catalan playwright who wrote over a hundred plays as well as several books of poetry. The white marble monument which was erected in his memory stands directly opposite Barcelona’s oldest theatre, Teatre Principal
[...] Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered [...]
-- Quote by William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)
Nikon D200, Tokina 12-24 f/4, 12mm - f/8 - 1/60s - HDR 5xp +2/-2EV - Cokin grad tobacco filter
Lacul Roșu, Romania (June, 2014)
John B Keane Pub in Listowel in Kerry County Ireland. He was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist who wrote "The Field" and "Sive".
…while the playwright looks on.
For We're Here - Anything Absurd
Also for Sliders Sunday. Focus stacked, layered, then gently erased to reveal the background. Minor adjustments to saturation.
#beetsfordinnertonight
Put some zing into your 365! Join We're Here!
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story writer, poet and playwright.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
Take the ferry ride to the most beautiful house and setting of an inspiring lady.
New York City's Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world. Print size 13x19 inches.
John Donne (pronounced /ˈdʌn/ "dunn"; 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English Jacobean poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to those of his contemporaries.
Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.
John Donne was born on Bread Street in London, England, into a Catholic family at a time when Catholicism was illegal in England.[3] Donne was the third of six children. His father, also named John Donne, was of Welsh descent, and a warden of the Ironmongers Company in the City of London. Donne's father was a respected Catholic who avoided unwelcome government attention out of fear of being persecuted for his religious faith.[4][5] Donne's father died in 1576, leaving his wife, Elizabeth Heywood, the responsibility of raising their children.[5] Elizabeth Heywood, also from a noted Catholic family, was the daughter of John Heywood, the playwright, and sister of Jasper Heywood, the translator and Jesuit. She was a great-niece of the Catholic martyr Thomas More.[6] This tradition of martyrdom would continue among Donne’s closer relatives, many of whom were executed or exiled for religious reasons.[7] Despite the obvious dangers, Donne’s family arranged for his education by the Jesuits, which gave him a deep knowledge of his religion that equipped him for the ideological religious conflicts of his time.[6] Donne's mother married Dr. John Syminges, a wealthy widower with three children, a few months after Donne's father died. In 1577, his mother died, followed by two more of his sisters, Mary and Katherine, in 1581.
Donne was a student at Hart Hall, now Hertford College, Oxford, from the age of 11. After three years at Oxford he was admitted to the University of Cambridge, where he studied for another three years.[8] He was unable to obtain a degree from either institution because of his Catholicism, since he could not take the Oath of Supremacy required of graduates.[6] In 1591 he was accepted as a student at the Thavies Inn legal school, one of the Inns of Chancery in London. In 1592 he was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn, one of the Inns of Court[6], where he held the office of Master of the Revels.[3] His brother Henry was also a university student prior to his arrest in 1593 for harbouring a Catholic priest, William Harrington, whom Henry betrayed under torture.[3] Harrington was tortured on the rack, hanged until not quite dead, and then was subjected to live disembowelment.[3] Henry Donne died in Newgate prison of bubonic plague, leading John Donne to begin questioning his Catholic faith.[5]
During and after his education, Donne spent much of his considerable inheritance on women, literature, pastimes and travel.[4][6] Although there is no record detailing precisely where he traveled, it is known that he traveled across Europe and later fought with the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh against the Spanish at Cádiz (1596) and the Azores (1597) and witnessed the loss of the Spanish flagship, the San Felipe.[1][5][9] According to Izaak Walton, who wrote a biography of Donne in 1640:
“ ... he returned not back into England till he had stayed some years, first in Italy, and then in Spain, where he made many useful observations of those countries, their laws and manner of government, and returned perfect in their languages. ”
By the age of 25 he was well prepared for the diplomatic career he appeared to be seeking.[9] He was appointed chief secretary to the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Thomas Egerton, and was established at Egerton’s London home, York House, Strand close to the Palace of Whitehall, then the most influential social centre in England.
During the next four years he fell in love with Egerton's niece Anne More, and they were married just before Christmas [3] in 1601 against the wishes of both Egerton and her father, George More, Lieutenant of the Tower. This ruined his career and earned him a short stay in Fleet Prison, along with the priest who married them and the man who acted as a witness to the wedding. Donne was released when the marriage was proven valid, and soon secured the release of the other two. Walton tells us that when he wrote to his wife to tell her about losing his post, he wrote after his name: John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done. It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his father-in-law and received his wife's dowry.
Following his release, Donne had to accept a retired country life in Pyrford, Surrey.[6] Over the next few years he scraped a meagre living as a lawyer, depending on his wife’s cousin Sir Francis Wolly to house him, his wife, and their children. Since Anne Donne had a baby almost every year, this was a very generous gesture. Though he practiced law and worked as an assistant pamphleteer to Thomas Morton, he was in a state of constant financial insecurity, with a growing family to provide for.[6]
Anne bore him 12 children in 16 years of marriage (including two stillbirths - their eighth and then in 1617 their last child); indeed, she spent most of her married life either pregnant or nursing. The 10 surviving children were named Constance, John, George, Francis, Lucy (after Donne's patroness Lucy, Countess of Bedford, her godmother), Bridget, Mary, Nicholas, Margaret and Elizabeth. Francis, Nicholas and Mary died before they were ten. In a state of despair, Donne noted that the death of a child would mean one less mouth to feed, but he could not afford the burial expenses. During this time Donne wrote, but did not publish, Biathanatos, his defense of suicide.[7] His wife died on 15 August 1617, five days after giving birth to their twelfth child, a still-born baby. Donne mourned her deeply, including writing the 17th Holy Sonnet.[6] He never remarried; this was quite unusual for the time, especially as he had a large family to bring up.
Donne's earliest poems showed a developed knowledge of English society coupled with sharp criticism of its problems. His satires dealt with common Elizabethan topics, such as corruption in the legal system, mediocre poets, and pompous courtiers. His images of sickness, vomit, manure, and plague assisted in the creation of a strongly satiric world populated by all the fools and knaves of England. His third satire, however, deals with the problem of true religion, a matter of great importance to Donne. He argued that it was better to examine carefully one's religious convictions than blindly to follow any established tradition, for none would be saved at the Final Judgment, by claiming "A Harry, or a Martin taught [them] this."[7]
Donne's early career was also notable for his erotic poetry, especially his elegies, in which he employed unconventional metaphors, such as a flea biting two lovers being compared to sex.[9] In Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed, he poetically undressed his mistress and compared the act of fondling to the exploration of America. In Elegy XVIII, he compared the gap between his lover's breasts to the Hellespont.[9] Donne did not publish these poems, although he did allow them to circulate widely in manuscript form.
Donne was elected as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brackley in 1602, but this was not a paid position and Donne struggled to provide for his family, relying heavily upon rich friends.[6] The fashion for coterie poetry of the period gave him a means to seek patronage and many of his poems were written for wealthy friends or patrons, especially Sir Robert Drury, who came to be Donne's chief patron in 1610.[9] Donne wrote the two Anniversaries, An Anatomy of the World (1611) and Of the Progress of the Soul, (1612), for Drury. While historians are not certain as to the precise reasons for which Donne left the Catholic Church, he was certainly in communication with the King, James I of England, and in 1610 and 1611 he wrote two anti-Catholic polemics: Pseudo-Martyr and Ignatius his Conclave.[6] Although James was pleased with Donne's work, he refused to reinstate him at court and instead urged him to take holy orders.[5] Although Donne was at first reluctant, feeling unworthy of a clerical career, he finally acceded to the King's wishes and in 1615 was ordained into the Church of England.[9]
Donne became a Royal Chaplain in late 1615, Reader of Divinity at Lincoln's Inn in 1616, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge University in 1618.[6] Later in 1618 he became chaplain to Viscount Doncaster, who was on an embassy to the princes of Germany. Donne did not return to England until 1620.[6] In 1621 Donne was made Dean of St Paul's, a leading (and well-paid) position in the Church of England and one he held until his death in 1631. During his period as Dean his daughter Lucy died, aged eighteen. It was in late November and early December of 1623 that he suffered a nearly fatal illness, thought to be either typhus or a combination of a cold followed by the seven-day relapsing fever. During his convalescence he wrote a series of meditations and prayers on health, pain, and sickness that were published as a book in 1624 under the title of Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. Meditation XVII later became well known for its phrase "for whom the bell tolls" and the statement that "no man is an island". In 1624 he became vicar of St Dunstan-in-the-West, and 1625 a Royal Chaplain to Charles I.[6] He earned a reputation as an eloquent preacher and 160 of his sermons have survived, including the famous Death’s Duel sermon delivered at the Palace of Whitehall before King Charles I in February 1631.
It is thought that his final illness was stomach cancer. He died on 31 March 1631 having published many poems in his lifetime; but having left a body of work fiercely engaged with the emotional and intellectual conflicts of his age. John Donne is buried in St Paul's, where a memorial statue of him was erected (carved from a drawing of him in his shroud), with a Latin epigraph probably composed by himself.
1651-1695, Mexico.
Nun, scholar, poet, writer
She came from a Catholic family in the small village of San Miguel de Nepantla, near Amecameca (modern-day México State). Christened Juana Inés Ramírez, she was a great lover of literature and learned Latin before she was ten. She was exceptional not only for her intelligence but also because girls in 17th century Ibero-America rarely received schooling. By the age of fifteen, Juana was considered a child prodigy and became a lady-in-waiting to the viceroy's wife in 1664. Her life in the palace was a decisive influence, as her work is full of references to courtly life.
After four years in the viceroy's court, and seeking freedom to pursue knowledge, Juana decided to become a nun. She entered the Convent of San Jerónimo, where she remained until her death in 1695. By her own account, life in the convent indeed gave her freedoms that she would never have had if she had married, as was expected of respectable women. For instance, she often held discussions about natural science with intellectuals in her private suite, and devoted much of her time to writing poems and plays.
Given her background as an educated, outspoken woman, and born in an environment of a native population that eternally fought against Spanish domination, it is not surprising that Sor Juana wrote literature centered on freedom. In the poem "Hombres necios" she rebels by defending a woman's right to be respected as a human being. "Hombres necios" (Stubborn men) criticises the sexism of the society of her time, and pokes fun at men who condemn prostitution, as men are those who benefit the most from its existence. She also has a philosophical approach to the relative immorality of prostitution. This was exemplified when she posed the question, 'Who sins more, she who sins for pay or he who pays for sin?' In the romantic comedy entitled Los empeños de una casa about a brother and a sister entangled in a web of love, she writes using two of her most prominent themes, love and jealousy. Yet, these emotions are not presented in a moralizing way, but in the spirit of her lifetime interests, the pursuit of liberty and knowledge.
Fortunately for Sor Juana, at first her outspoken stance incurred the pleasure of the Roman Catholic Church. Her outspokeness was especially dangerous for her when one considers the historical context – it was the time of the Counter Reformation and anyone who challenged society's values could easily get into trouble with the all-powerful Church. Later, things came to a climax in 1690, when a letter was published that attacked Sor Juana's focus on the sciences, and suggested that she should devote her time to theology.
In response, Sor Juana wrote a letter entitled Respuesta a Sor Filotea in which she defended women's right to any education they desired. But she soon found that the Catholic Church was not at all sympathetic to her views. The Archbishop of Mexico joined other high-ranking officials in condemning Sor Juana's "waywardness". Finally around 1693 Sor Juana appears to have decided to stop writing, rather than risk any further censure. There is no evidence of her actually renouncing her devotion to letters, and the documents of self-humiliation to which she supposedly put her name in 1694 have the tone of mere rhetorical formulae (one of these is signed "Yo, la peor del mundo" (I, the worst woman in the world)). However, she was forced to sell all her books, an extensive library of some 4,000 volumes, as well as her musical and scientific instruments. In April 1695, plague hit the convent, with great loss of life. Sor Juana contracted the disease and died at four in the morning on April 17.
Text from: www.answers.com/topic/sor-juana-in-s-de-la-cruz-1
Image from: www.dartmouth.edu/~sorjuana/
Her image now graces the 1000 peso. Of course, being a freethinker, she has yet to be canonized or even beatified.
Claremont estate
The first house on the Claremont estate was built in 1708 by Sir John Vanbrugh, the Restoration playwright and architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, for his own use. This "very small box", as he described it, stood on the level ground in front of the present mansion. At the same time, he built the stables and the walled gardens, also probably White Cottage, which is now the Sixth Form Centre of Claremont Fan Court School.
In 1714, he sold the house to the wealthy Whig politician Thomas Pelham-Holles, Earl of Clare, who later became Duke of Newcastle and served twice as Prime Minister. The earl commissioned Vanbrugh to add two great wings to the house and to build a fortress-like turret on an adjoining knoll. From this so-called "prospect-house", or belvedere, he and his guests could admire the views of the Surrey countryside as they took refreshments and played hazard, a popular dice game.
In the clear eighteenth-century air it was apparently possible to see Windsor Castle and St Paul's Cathedral. The Earl of Clare named his country seat Clare-mount, later contracted to Claremont. The two lodges at the Copsem Lane entrance were added at this time.
Landscape garden
Main article: Claremont Landscape Garden
Claremont landscape garden is one of the earliest surviving gardens of its kind of landscape design, the English Landscape Garden — still featuring its original 18th century layout. The extensive landscaped grounds of Claremont represents the work of some of the best known landscape gardeners, Charles Bridgeman, Capability Brown, William Kent (with Thomas Greening) and Sir John Vanbrugh.[2]
Work on the gardens began around 1715 and, by 1727, they were described as "the noblest of any in Europe". Within the grounds, overlooking the lake, is an unusual turfed amphitheatre.
A feature in the grounds is the Belvedere Tower, designed by Vanbrugh for the Duke of Newcastle. The tower is unusual in that, what appear to be windows, are actually bricks painted black and white. It is now owned by Claremont Fan Court School, which is situated alongside the gardens.
In 1949, the landscape garden was donated to the National Trust for stewardship and protection. A restoration programme was launched in 1975 following a significant donation by the Slater Foundation. The garden is Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[3]
Capability Brown's mansion, built for Lord Clive of India
The Duke of Newcastle died in 1768 and, in 1769, his widow sold the estate to Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, founder of Britain's Indian Empire. Although the great house was then little more than fifty years old, it was aesthetically and politically out of fashion. Lord Clive decided to demolish the house and commissioned Capability Brown to build the present Palladian mansion on higher and dryer ground. Brown, more accomplished as a landscape designer than an architect, took on his future son-in-law Henry Holland as a junior partner owing to the scale of the project. John Soane (later Sir John Soane) was employed in Holland's office at this time and worked on the project as a draftsman and junior designer.[4] Holland's interiors for Claremont owe much to the contemporary work of Robert Adam.
Lord Clive, by now a rich Nabob, is reputed to have spent over £100,000 on rebuilding the house and the complete remodelling of the celebrated pleasure ground. However, Lord Clive ended up never living at the property, as he died in 1774—the year that the house was completed. The estate then passed through a rapid succession of owners; first being sold "for not more than one third of what the house and alterations had cost"[5] to Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway, and then to George Carpenter, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell, and finally to Charles Ellis, 1st Baron Seaford.[6]
A large map entitled "Claremont Palace", situated in what is called "Clive's room" inside the mansion, shows the mansion and its surrounding grounds; giving a detailed overview of the campus. The map likely dates back to the 1860s, when the mansion was frequently occupied by Queen Victoria (thus it having been christened "palace"). However, the exact date is still unknown. The relief in Claremont's front pediment is of Clive's coat of arms impaled with that of Maskelyne, his wife's family.
Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).
His novels, always well-researched according to the scientific knowledge then available, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time. Wikipedia
(Original black and white photo by Etienne Carjat.)
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond.
He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). In 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Original black and white photo by Marcel Sternberger. Shaw was reluctant at first to even sit for Sternberger and said he wouldn't "buy a single picture". After seeing samples of the photos, he changed his mind and order 50 copies of one. Sternberger was reluctant to produce so many portraits without payment, but eventually complied.
Shaw sent the photographer an envelope filled with numerous small checks. Shaw said, “[It’s] very simple: My autograph is worth more [than each check]; you can sell the checks to autograph collectors and get yourself some more money [than the portraits cost] which you deserve; they won’t cash the checks, so the whole transaction won’t cost me a penny.”
Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).
His novels, always well-researched according to the scientific knowledge then available, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time. Wikipedia
(Original black and white photo by Etienne Carjat.)
Explored 11-7-24
The monument to poet Giovann Battista Niccolini has an interesting sculpture. Pio Fedi’s sculpture embodies the Liberty of Poetry. It closely resembles the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde, 1854-1900. Irish poet and playwright.
Original black and white photo by Sarony, courtesy of The Library of Congress.
"from the family album: from right to left: the child is my grandmother Ninitta, then there is her mother and my great grandmother Anna, her sister Concetta, finally their mother and my great-great-grandmother Nina, respectively daughter, wife, sister-in-law, mother-in-law of the photographer Gaetano D'Agata, whom in a photograph of him (location Mazzarò-Taormina)"
“dall'album di famiglia: da destra verso sinistra: la bambina è mia nonna Ninitta, poi c'è la sua mamma e la mia bisnonna Anna, sua sorella Concetta, infine la loro mamma e mia trisavola Nina, rispettivamente figlia, moglie, cognata, suocera del fotografo Gaetano D'Agata, cui in una sua fotografia (location Mazzarò-Taormina)”
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The photographer Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden: and some "secret stories” of Taormina ...
At the age of about 11-12, I made a very particular discovery, I found a fair number of ancient photographs (they had been well hidden by my grandmother) inside an ancient chest of drawers in our house in Taormina, for me it was a huge surprise, the a taste for the forbidden appeared in me for the first time, they were black and white photographs, they portrayed naked boys, or only partially dressed in drapes or sheets, they were posed to imitate certain statues (or drawings) of the Greco-Roman period; I was very intrigued by them, every now and then I went to look at them, without ever feeling discomfort, I did not consider them vulgar photographs. Some of the photos were the size of a postcard, others of various sizes increasingly larger, up to a format similar to A3; on the back there were stamps, there were also, inside small red cardboard boxes, glass plates, not large, looking at them against the light, they let us glimpse images of naked boys, or only partially dressed: they were photographic negatives made on glass plates. What was that particular photographic material hidden by my grandmother in the dresser of our house? Let's take a step back in time let's teleport to April 2, 1787 when the German poet, narrator, playwright Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) lands in Palermo, following his Grand Tour in Italy (the word "tourism" derives from it) he will say of Sicily that it is a place of splendor, beauty and harmony, but at the same time a place of poverty, suffering, misery and social injustice; Goethe wrote the book "Journey to Italy", revealing himself to be one of Italy's most passionate admirers, stating that "Sicily is the key to everything" (the incredible resemblance of thought with the great Sicilian writer and journalist Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) who published in 1979 the book entitled “Sicily as a metaphor”). At the time of Goethe (and for a long time to come) the knowledge of Sicily was made up of stereotyped ideas, it was considered a land of mysteries, a den of brigands, which aroused fear in travelers, tourism did not exist, very few knew a foreign language, journeys with carriages were slow, nothing strange therefore that Taormina was an unknown village at the time. Garibaldi, in the year 1860, frees Sicily from the domination of the Bourbons. In February 1863, Count Ottone (Otto) Geleng (1843-1939) arrives in Taormina from Germany, he is a landscape painter, he begins an intense pictorial activity, thus succeeding in making Taormina and its landscapes known in the various cultural circles of Germany and France. Count Otto thus invites the then painter (who later became a photographer) Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931) to come to Taormina to treat his "subtle ache", pulmonary tuberculosis, which would have benefited from the mild climate of Sicily. Von Gloeden, twenty-two, arrived in Taormina in 1878, became passionate about photography by taking lessons from the local engineer and photographer Giuseppe Bruno (1836-1904), perhaps also a teacher of Giovanni Crupi (1859-1925), landscape photographer friend of von Gloeden, Crupi himself could also have contributed to the training as a photographer of the young von Gloeden. Like Otto Geleng's paintings, the photographs of the young Wilhelm also began to entice the then bourgeoisie across the border to come to Sicily: in the last 20 years of the 1800s the foundations were being laid for tourism in Sicily. The photographs taken by von Gloeden had as their subject young Sicilian adolescents dressed in the old-fashioned way with drapes, or completely naked, at most adorned with wreaths of flowers or laurel leaves placed on their heads, the young models assumed well-studied poses under the directed by the photographer baron, designed to create scenes that wanted to reconstruct the atmosphere of the mythical Arcadia (bucolic landscape of ancient Greece). In his poetics we can find the interest in disguise and transvestism, the young fisherman is made ambiguous by making him wear a wig, made resembling a young Sicilian girl; the images are not produced for the sole and mere trade, they are works that will be published in various famous magazines (such as "The National Geographic Magazine" or "the photographic progress", A. Stieglitz publishes his nudes on “Camera Notes"), also participating in international photographic exhibitions. The young models are filmed among ancient ruins, in rocky environments, outdoors, eliciting a spiritual feeling full of nostalgia, which follows pictorial models of German romanticism. In the photographic book "Verga photographer" (created on the discovery of 327 glass plates and 121 celluloid frames), in Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) great Sicilian narrator, it is possible to observe his photographs interwoven with "realism", while in the photographs of von Gloeden the symbolism andthe spiritualism predominate, however Wilhelm will also produce documentary-type photographs, photographing the terrible earthquake (and tsunami) of Messina (and Reggio Calabria) of 1908. Von Gloeden seems fully integrated into the Taormina society , nevertheless suffers heavy homophobic attacks from the local press and from important characters from Taormina, including Otto Geleng himself, who will be sued by the baron, which will then be withdrawn upon payment of 896 lire, and a restorative declaration published in the "Gazzetta di Messina" . Von Gloeden worked in his house-studio in front of the Hotel San Domenico Palace, with him lived his sister Sofia Raabe (1847-1930), daughter of his mother's first husband, who helped him manage the house-studio, and in the to receive the illustrious guests who visited him (such as Oscar Wilde, FA Krupp, Richard Strauss, the German emperor Wilhelm II, Eleonora Duse). Von Gloeden died on February 16, 1931 at the age of 74, he was buried in the non-Catholic cemetery of Taormina, his heir was his all-around assistant Pancrazio Buciunì known as "il moro" (1879-1963) ("u 'moru", family nickname), which continues the activity, selling the prints: he undergoes two searches in full fascist regime with partial seizure and destruction of the photographic material that belonged to von Gloeden (fascism persecuted homosexuals, the repression of homosexuality was entrusted to the fascist police, which confined many homosexuals to the islands of the Mediterranean, Lipari was one of these, see the beautiful film by Ettore Scola "a special day"), Buciunì undergoes two trials for detention of obscene material, and, despite an adverse appraisal by the appointed expert prof. Stefano Bottari, holder of the chair of history of medieval and modern art at the University of Messina, who declares much of the seized material obscene, the Court of Messina, demonstrating tolerance and open-mindedness, acquits Buciunì. At this point in the story we return to my grandmother's dresser and reveal the little mystery: the hidden photographs belonged to my great-grandfather Don Gaetano D'Agata (1883-1949), von Gloeden's assistant photographer, also on the baron's teaching, he made nude photographs, as well as landscape or portrait photographs; Don Gaetano was a globetrotter, in our family album he is portrayed in various parts of the world, always in the company of beautiful women: but I will never know if those "forbidden photos" were taken by my great-grandfather Gaetano or by Von Gloeden himself, because my grandmother, having understood that I was going to peek at them in secret, made them disappear permanently, and I never heard anymore of that photographic material. For my part, it is only right to mention other figures who contributed to making Taormina the current destination for international tourism. Lady Florence Trevelyan (1852-1907), was Queen Victoria's lady-in-waiting, she was then sent into exile in various parts of the world by Queen herself, she arrived in Taormina and stayed there forever, she was a woman of exceptional gifts, endowed with great sensitivity and humanity, animal rights activist, philanthropist, passionate about esotericism, she was married to the then mayor and doctor of Taormina dr. Salvatore Cacciola, she were one of the first women admitted to world Freemasonry (her husband Cacciola also belonged to Freemasonry): I have already talked about it previously in one of my photographic stories. On the occasion of the XXI festival of the two worlds in Spoleto, in 1978, the essayist and literary critic Roland Barthes (1915-1980) curated an exhibition entitled "Wilhelm von Gloeden", with interventions by artists such as Andy Warhol, M. Pistoletto and J. Beuys. Finally, Raffaella Perna, Researcher in History of Contemporary Art at the University of Catania, underlines in her book on "Wilhelm von Gloeden, disguises, portraits, tableaux vivants", of how LaChapelle, Witkin, Mapplethorpe are the contemporary artists who they are indicated as heirs of von Gloeden's poetics.
P.S. Von Gloeden's photographs were made by photographing both the large panels with gigantographic reproductions of von Gloeden's works, which are located at the entrance of the Mocambo bar in Taormina, and in the shop-bazaar of the photographer from Taormina, my late friend, Nino Malmbrì (owner of the baron's original photographic material). The photographs of Gaetano D’Agata, were taken from my family album: in a photo a little damaged, but exceptional for its historical and emotional value, my great-grandfather, the photographer Gaetano D'Agata, here very young, holds his daughter "Ninitta" (a of the four children, had by three wives), she is my paternal grandmother; in another photo, the photographer Gaetano D'Agata poses next to her a few years later, with my grandmother already a young girl; always made by great-grandfather D'Agata there is both a portrait photo, a close-up, of my very young grandmother "Ninitta", and there is a photo of her posing as a peasant girl, with a painted backdrop behind her, as if used in studio photos; finally I put two photos taken by my great-grandfather Gaetano "en plein air" of bathers, "the location" is the beach of Mazzarò (Taormina). The photographs of the tombstones of the characters mentioned in the story were taken in the Catholic and non-Catholic cemetery of Taormina; the monumental funerary complex of Count Otto Geleng at the top presents the bust of his son Ermanno, the presence of symbolisms such as the hourglass, the rooster, the book (the Holy Bible) and the god mercury, makes me believe that Count Otto was part of the Masonic lodge of Taormina, at the time the mayor of Taormina was also part of it, dr. Cacciola and his wife Lady Florence Trevelyan: in his palace, Dr. Cacciola, built a temple, which became the first Masonic lodge in Taormina: the "Renaissance" (1904).
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Il barone fotografo Wilhelm von Gloeden: ed alcune “storie segrete” di Taormina …
Io, all’età di circa 11-12 anni, feci una scoperta molto particolare, trovai un discreto numero di antiche fotografie (erano state ben nascoste da mia nonna) dentro un antico comò in casa nostra a Taormina, per me fu una enorme sorpresa, il gusto del proibito si affacciò in me per la prima volta, erano fotografie in bianco e nero, ritraevano ragazzi nudi, o solo in parte vestiti con drappi o lenzuoli, messi in posa imitavano certe statue (o disegni) del periodo greco-romano; io ne ero rimasto molto incuriosito, ogni tanto le andavo a riguardare, senza mai provare disagio, non le consideravo fotografie volgari. Alcune foto erano della grandezza di una cartolina, altre di varie dimensioni sempre più grandi, fino ad arrivare ad un formato assimilabile all’A3; sul retro c’erano impressi dei timbri, c’erano anche, dentro dei piccoli scatoli in cartoncino di colore rosso, delle lastrine in vetro, non grandi, guardandole in controluce, lasciavano intravedere immagini di ragazzi nudi, o poco vestiti: erano i negativi fotografici realizzati su vetro. Cosa ci faceva quel materiale fotografico, così particolare, nascosto da mia nonna nel comò di casa nostra? Facciamo un salto indietro nel tempo teletrasportiamoci al 2 aprile 1787 quando a Palermo sbarca il poeta, narratore, drammaturgo tedesco Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), in seguito al suo Grand Tour in Italia (turismo deriva da esso) dirà della Sicilia che essa è luogo di splendore, bellezza ed armonia, ma al tempo stesso luogo di povertà, sofferenza, miseria ed ingiustizia sociale; Goethe scrive il libro “Viaggio in Italia”, rivelandosi uno dei più appassionati ammiratori dell’Italia, affermando che “la Sicilia è la chiave di tutto” (incredibile la rassomiglianza di pensiero col grande scrittore e giornalista siciliano Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) che pubblica nel 1979 il libro dal titolo “la Sicilia come metafora”). Ai tempi di Goethe (e per molto tempo ancora) la conoscenza della Sicilia era fatta di idee stereotipate, era considerata terra di misteri, covo di briganti, il che incuteva timore nei viaggiatori, il turismo non esisteva, pochissimi conoscevano una lingua straniera, i viaggi con carrozze ertano lenti, nulla di strano quindi che Taormina fosse all’epoca un villaggio sconosciuto. Garibaldi, nell’anno 1860, libera la Sicilia dalla dominazione dei Borboni. Nel febbraio del 1863, dalla Germania giunge a Taormina il conte Ottone (Otto) Geleng (1843-1939), egli è un pittore paesaggista, inizia una intensa attività pittorica, riuscendo in tal modo a far conoscere Taormina ed i suoi paesaggi nei vari circoli culturali della Germania e della Francia. Il conte Otto invita così l’allora pittore (poi divenuto fotografo) barone Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931) a venire a Taormina per curare il suo “mal sottile”, la tubercolosi polmonare, che avrebbe tratto giovamento dal clima mite della Sicilia. Von Gloeden, ventiduenne, nel 1878 giunge a Taormina, si appassiona alla fotografia prendendo lezioni dall’ingegnere e fotografo locale Giuseppe Bruno (1836-1904), forse anche insegnante di Giovanni Crupi (1859-1925), fotografo paesaggista amico di von Gloeden, il quale Crupi stesso potrebbe anche aver contribuito alla formazione come fotografo del giovane von Gloeden. Così come i dipinti di Otto Geleng, anche le fotografie del giovane Wilhelm incominciarono ad invogliare l’allora borghesia d’oltre confine, a venire in Sicilia: negli ultimi 20 anni dell’800 si stavano gettando le basi per il turismo in Sicilia. Le fotografie realizzate da von Gloeden avevano come soggetto giovani adolescenti siciliani vestiti all’antica con drappi, o completamente nudi, tutt’al più adornati da coroncine di fiorellini o foglie d’alloro messi sul capo, i giovani modelli assumevano pose ben studiate sotto la regia del barone fotografo, atte a realizzare scene che volevano ricostruire l’atmosfera della mitica Arcadia (paesaggio bucolico dell’antica Grecia). Nella sua poetica possiamo riscontrare l’interesse per il travestimento ed il travestitismo, il giovane pescatore viene reso ambiguo facendogli indossare una parrucca, reso somigliante ad una giovane ragazza siciliana; le immagini non vengono prodotte per il solo e mero commercio, sono opere che verranno pubblicate su varie riviste famose (come “The National Geographic Magazine” o “Il Progresso fotografico”, A. Stieglitz pubblica i suoi nudi su “Camera Notes”), partecipando anche ad esposizioni fotografiche internazionali. I giovani modelli sono ripresi tra antichi ruderi, in ambienti rupestri, all’aperto, elicitando un sentimento spirituale carico di nostalgia, il che ricalca modelli pittorici del romanticismo tedesco. Nel libro fotografico “Verga fotografo” (realizzato su ritrovamento di 327 lastre in vetro e 121 fotogrammi in celluloide), in Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) grande narratore siciliano, è possibile osservare le sue fotografie intessute di “verismo”, mentre nelle fotografie di von Gloeden predomina il simbolismo e lo spiritualismo, purtuttavia Wilhelm produrrà anch’egli fotografie di tipo documentaristico, andando a fotografare il terribile terremoto (e maremoto) di Messina (e di Reggio Calabria) del 1908. Von Gloeden sembra pienamente integrato nella società taorminese, ciononostante subisce pesanti attacchi omofobi dalla stampa locale e da importanti personaggi taorminesi, incluso lo stesso Otto Geleng, i quali verranno querelati dal barone, querela che verrà poi ritirata dietro pagamento di 896 lire, ed una dichiarazione riparatoria pubblicata sulla “Gazzetta di Messina”. Von Gloeden lavorava nella sua casa-studio di fronte l’Hotel San Domenico Palace, con lui viveva sua sorella Sofia Raabe (1847-1930), figlia del primo marito di sua madre, che lo aiutava a governare la casa-studio, e nel ricevere gli illustri ospiti che lo andavano a trovare ( come Oscar Wilde, F.A. Krupp, Richard Strauss, l’imperatore tedesco Guglielmo II, Eleonora Duse). Von Gloeden muore il 16 febbraio 1931 all’età di 74 anni, viene sepolto nel cimitero acattolico di Taormina, il suo erede è il suo assistente tutto fare Pancrazio Buciunì detto “il moro” (1879-1963) (“u’ moru”, soprannome di famiglia), che ne prosegue l’attività, vendendone le stampe: il quale subisce in pieno regime fascista due perquisizioni con parziale sequestro e distruzione del materiale fotografico che apparteneva a von Gloeden (il fascismo perseguitò gli omosessuali, la repressione dell’omosessualità fu affidata alla polizia fascista, che confinò molti omosessuali nelle isole del mediterraneo, Lipari fu una di queste, vedi il bellissimo film di Ettore Scola “una giornata particolare”), Buciunì subisce due processi per detenzione di materiale osceno, e, nonostante una perizia avversa da parte del nominato perito prof. Stefano Bottari, titolare della cattedra di storia dell’arte medioevale e moderna dell’Università di Messina, che dichiara osceno gran parte del materiale sequestrato, il Tribunale di Messina dimostrando tolleranza ed apertura mentale, assolve il Buciunì. A questo punto del racconto ritorniamo al comò di mia nonna e sveliamo il piccolo mistero: le fotografie nascoste appartenevano al mio bisnonno don Gaetano D’Agata (1883-1949), assistente fotografo di von Gloeden, anch’egli sull’insegnamento del barone, realizzò fotografie di nudo, oltre che di paesaggio o ritratto; don Gaetano era un giramondo, nel nostro album di famiglia lui è ritratto in varie parti del mondo, sempre in compagnia di belle donne: ma io non saprò mai se quelle “foto proibite” erano realizzate dal mio bisnonno Gaetano o da Von Gloeden stesso, perché mia nonna, avendo capito che le andavo a sbirciare di nascosto, le fece sparire definitivamente, e di quel materiale fotografico non ne seppi più nulla. Da parte mia, è doveroso citare altre figure che contribuirono a rendere Taormina l’attuale meta del turismo internazionale. Lady Florence Trevelyan (1852-1907), era dama di corte della regina Vittoria, dalla stessa regina Lady Florence fu poi mandata in esilio in varie parti del mondo, giunse a Taormina e qui vi restò per sempre, era una donna dalle doti eccezionali, dotata di grande sensibilità ed umanità, animalista, filantropa, appassionata di esoterismo, fu sposa dell’allora sindaco e medico di Taormina dott. Salvatore Cacciola, fu una delle prime donne ammesse alla massoneria mondiale (apparteneva alla massoneria anche il marito Cacciola): ne ho già parlato in precedenza in un mio racconto fotografico. Robert Hawthorn Kitson (1873-1947) era un pittore britannico omosessuale, egli lasciò l’Inghilterra a causa dell’emendamento Labouchere, che rendeva illegale qualsiasi atto omosessuale nel Regno Unito (1885), giunse a Taormina e qui si stabilì, costruendo nel 1905 Casa Cusani, una villa con vista sull’Etna, oggi casa museo; nella sua sala da pranzo si trovano gli affreschi “proibiti” realizzati da Frank Brangwyn, essi narrano dell’amore omosessuale tra Kitson ed il suo compagno Carlo Siligato: nel 1908 in seguito al terremoto che distrusse Messina (e Reggio Calabria), essi adottarono un bambino che era rimasto orfano, divenendo di fatto una famiglia omosessuale, all’epoca assolutamente proibita; gli affreschi di Casa Cuseni sono ispirati alle fotografie di von Gloeden, così come nella villa, si trova una “autocromia a colori” del 1910, realizzata da von Gloeden, documento eccezionale che testimonia la volontà del barone di sperimentare nuove tecniche. In occasione del XXI festival dei due mondi di Spoleto, nel 1978, il saggista e critico letterario Roland Barthes (1915-1980) cura una mostra intitolata “Wilhelm von Gloeden”, con interventi di artisti quali Andy Warhol, M. Pistoletto e J. Beuys. Infine, Raffaella Perna, Ricercatrice in Storia dell'arte contemporanea all'Università degli Studi di Catania, sottolinea nel suo libro su “Wilhelm von Gloeden, travestimenti, ritratti, tableaux vivants”, di come LaChapelle, Witkin, Mapplethorpe siano gli artisti contemporanei che vengono indicati come eredi della poetica di von Gloeden.
P.S. le fotografie di Von Gloeden sono state realizzate fotografando sia i grandi pannelli con gigantografiche riproduzioni delle opere di von Gloeden, che si trovano all’ingresso del bar Mocambo di Taormina, sia nel negozio-bazar del fotografo taorminese, compianto mio amico, Nino Malmbrì (possessore di materiale fotografico originale del barone). Le fotografie di Gaetano D’Agata, sono state prese dal mio album di famiglia: in una foto un pò rovinata, ma eccezionale per il suo valore storico e per me affettivo, il mio bisnonno, il fotografo Gaetano D'Agata, qui molto giovane, tiene in braccio sua figlia "Ninitta" (una dei quattro figli, avuti da tre mogli), lei è la mia nonna paterna; in un'altra foto, il fotografo Gaetano D'Agata posa accanto a lei qualche anno dopo, con mia nonna già ragazzina; sempre realizzate dal bisnonno D'Agata c'è sia un foto-ritratto, un primo piano, di mia nonna "Ninitta" molto giovane, e c'è la foto di lei mentre posa come contadinella, con dietro un fondale dipinto, come si usava nelle foto da studio; infine ho messo, due foto realizzate dal mio bisnonno Gaetano "en plein air" a delle bagnanti, "la location" è la spiaggia di Mazzarò (Taormina). Le fotografie delle tombe dei personaggi menzionati nel racconto, sono state fatte nel cimitero cattolico ed acattolico di Taormina; il complesso monumentale funerario del conte Otto Geleng in alto presenta il mezzobusto del figlio Ermanno, la presenza di simbolismi come la clessidra, il gallo, il libro (la Sacra Bibbia) ed il dio mercurio, mi fa ritenere che il conte Otto facesse parte della loggia massonica di Taormina, all’epoca ne faceva parte anche il sindaco di Taormina, dott. Cacciola e sua moglie Lady Florence Trevelyan: nel suo palazzo il dott. Cacciola, realizzò un tempio, che divenne la prima loggia massonica di Taormina : la "Rinascimento"(1904).
Frans Hals (Antwerpen, 1580 - Haarlem, August 26, 1666) Catharina Hooft with her wet nanny (1619-20) - oil on canvas 91.8 x 68.3 cm - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Pittore olandese quasi contemporaneo di Rembrandt operò nei Paesi Bassi durante il cosiddetto periodo d'oro della loro pittura. Da molti considerato secondo solo a Rembrandt stesso in fatto di innovazioni stilistiche, formali e compositive, Frans Hals fu uno dei pittori più prolifici del periodo olandese ed è autore di alcuni tra i più noti ritratti del barocco, divenendo un punto chiave nella storia della fisiognomica.
Il ritratto di una bambina, dipinto da Frans Hals intorno al 1620, è una grande rarità nella pittura olandese del XVII secolo, poiché qui il bambino è presentato con la sua balia. Inoltre, l'immagine è l'unico ritratto di un bambino di Frans Hals che conosciamo ancora oggi.
Mostra la figlia unica Catharina Hooft, nata ad Amsterdam nel 1618.Poco dopo, i suoi genitori si trasferirono ad Haarlem, dove suo padre, l'avvocato Pieter Hooft, aveva comprato una casa e dove probabilmente fu realizzato anche il ritratto di Berlino. Suo zio era il famoso poeta, storico e drammaturgo olandese Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. All'età di soli 17 anni, Catharina sposò nel 1635 il ricchissimo, di 19 anni più anziano di lei, Cornelis de Graeff, uno dei reggenti più influenti e molteplici sindaci di Amsterdam, nonché statista e diplomatico olandese e della Repubblica degli Stati Uniti d'Olanda.
Le balie, i cui compiti consistevano esclusivamente nell'allattamento al seno e nella cura del bambino, avevano solitamente una posizione di primo piano tra i domestici. Solo un piccolo numero di famiglie dell'alta borghesia poteva permettersi il lusso di averne una, che diventava così una sorta di status symbol. In riconoscimento del loro stretto legame con il bambino, le balie godevano di un salario e di un apprezzamento considerevolmente più alti rispetto agli altri domestici.
The portrait of a little girl, painted by Frans Hals around 1620, is a great rarity in 17th century Dutch painting, as here the child is presented with her wet nurse. Moreover, the image is the only portrait of a child by Frans Hals that we know of to this day.
It shows the only daughter Catharina Hooft, who was born in Amsterdam in 1618.Soon after, her parents moved to Haarlem, where her father, the lawyer Pieter Hooft, had bought a house and where the Berlin portrait was probably made as well. His uncle was the famous Dutch poet, historian and playwright Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. At the age of only 17, Catharina married in 1635 the very wealthy, 19 years her senior, Cornelis de Graeff, one of the most influential regents and multiple mayors of Amsterdam, as well as a Dutch statesman and diplomat and the Republic of the United States of Holland.
Nannies, whose duties consisted solely of breastfeeding and child care, usually held a prominent position among the servants. Only a small number of upper middle class families could afford the luxury of having one, which thus became a sort of status symbol. In recognition of their close bond with the child, nannies enjoyed considerably higher wages and appreciation than other servants.
George Bernard Shaw's house (Irish playwright (1856-1950) - Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire
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Residencia del dramaturgo irlandés George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) - Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, Inglaterra
Texture: Steffen J. Thanks
OLYMPE DE GOUGES
(born Marie Gouze)
Montauban, France, 07/05/1748 – Paris, 03/11/1793
Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a playwright, pamphleteer, and political thinker of the French Revolution. Coming from a modest social background, she became one of the most radical and uncompromising voices of her time, challenging both societal norms and revolutionary authorities. She fought tirelessly for the education of the people, civil equality, and the full political participation of women, asserting that true freedom and citizenship cannot exist without access to knowledge.
In 1791, she published the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen,” a groundbreaking and subversive document exposing the hypocrisy of a revolution that proclaimed equality yet systematically excluded women and the broader populace from education and political power. Olympe de Gouges used writing as a tool of emancipation, speaking directly to the people in accessible language rather than elite academic discourse, believing that the spread of knowledge was itself a political act.
Her insistence on equality, education, and awareness made her a threat to the Jacobin revolutionary government. She was arrested, charged with subversion, and guillotined on 03/11/1793. Olympe de Gouges was eliminated because she sought to form an educated, conscious, and politically autonomous people—a persistent danger to those who hold power.
I publish these portraits to remember those who gave their lives for humanity, human rights, justice, and freedom. This work is meant especially for younger generations, to make visible stories that are too often forgotten or never taught, and to keep alive the memory of those who paid the highest price for truth and dignity.
The Playwright pub, Nottingham. Formerly The Clinton Arms, this was a right royal den of iniquity in the 70s, I should know, it’s where we students of the lithographic arts spent our lunchtimes in the company of scantily clad nubiles ;))
Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor Sam Shepard on the stage of Glasgow's Citizens Theatre. He made a rare public appearance there to answer questions after the final night of the Citz's production of True West, directed by Philip Breen.
Glasgow, 2013.
Medal- I. S. Turgenev (1818- 1883) issued on his 150th Birth Anniversary, displayed in the Payana Car Museum in Srirangapatna, Karnataka, India.
"Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (28 October, 1818 – 22 August 1883) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West."
[...] Great floods have flown from simple sources [...]
-- quote by William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)
Nikon D70, Tokina 12-24 f/4, 12mm - f/22 - 1s - HDR 3xp +2/-2EV - Cokin Grad Dark Tobacco filter + ND8
Fiumicino, Italy (June, 2008)
William Shakespeare. I wonder if he actually looked anything at all like this? I imagine someone slightly stooped from sitting at a table writing, with ink all over his hands, a scruffy beard, and hair all over the place....
English playwright William Shakespeare is by far one of the most famous names in the theatre industry, yet there are still many facts about him that would shock and surprise you. Here are 10 strange facts to get you started.
1. Shakespeare’s will was slightly strange
The only thing Shakespeare left to his wife in his will was the second-best bed in the house. His will reads: ‘“I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture”. The “furniture” refers to the linen for the bed.
2. One of Shakespeare’s relatives was executed
Edward Arden, a cousin of Shakespeare’s mother, was arrested for reportedly plotting against Queen Elizabeth I, although there was no clear evidence that he was actually involved. He was then imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed. Ouch!
3. Shakespeare was not an Elizabethan playwright
Calling Shakespeare an Elizabethan playwright is actually incorrect. The majority of his plays were written after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, making him a Jacobean writer.
4. Shakespeare often wrote about suicide
Shakespeare seemed to be fond of one particular kind of death – suicide. In fact, suicide occurs a whopping 13 times in Shakespearean plays.
5. Two of Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into Klingon
Klingon is the language created for the Star Trek science fiction series. You can read Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing in the fantasy language.
6. Some moons were named after Shakespeare’s characters
The moons circling around the planet of Uranus are mostly named after characters from Shakespeare plays, including Oberon, Ariel, and Juliet.
7. No one’s dared to go close to Shakespeare’s tomb since 1747
Shakespeare had a poem sketched into his tomb in Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. It says anyone who moves his bones will be cursed. Consequently, his grave has gone untouched since 1747.
8. One of Shakespeare’s plays is never performed by modern theatre companies
One of Shakespeare’s plays has been completely lost to history. There is evidence that he wrote a play called Cardenio which was performed in England, but no known copy of the play exists.
9. Shakespeare never published any of his own plays
Thankfully his friends John Heminges and Henry Condell did it posthumously and saved the world of theatre.
10. Shakespeare turned to sonnets because of a plague
He only stopped writing plays and turned to sonnets because the plague caused all theatres to be shut down. Maybe you could say the plague wasn’t so bad after all?
greatbritishmag.co.uk/uk-culture/10-strange-facts-about-s...
365 #50