That post lists Velasquez. Sean commented that he was very enthusiastic at seeing Velasquez's painting of "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, MA, last year so here is an image of that painting.
Many thanks for this flattering blog piece mentioning me! It was many years ago that I first saw this Velasquez painting and of how strangely, deeply it affected me. And to see this painting of the Spanish prince and his dwarf reawakened those feelings in me. In fact, to actually SEE the portrait in person made it more REAL to me than any photograph could do. To see in person the depth, color, ranges of thought and emotions Velazquez could reveal in his subjects and evoke in the persons viewing the painting was an EXPERIENCE.
I'm very pleased Poul Anderson included Velasquez in his list of some of the greatest artists of human history in THE BYWORLDER.
I should have added to my previous comment that one reason I was so enthusiastic on again seeing "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" was that the persons in it looked so much more THREE DIMENSIONAL in person than what any photograph could do, depict, or attain.
'In fact, to actually SEE the portrait in person made it more REAL to me than any photograph could do. To see in person the depth, color, ranges of thought and emotions Velazquez could reveal in his subjects and evoke in the persons viewing the painting was an EXPERIENCE.'
A few years ago, we had the absolute joy of a major exhibition of Picasso, in the form of sculptures, paintings, sketches and anything else that he could lay his creative hands on. Not to everyone's taste, I know, but that surge of delight when walking into a series of rooms packed with genius was never to be forgotten - a fact thst takes on more importance as I get older and more disabled.
Ketlan: I agree with the principle you are enunciating here. A great artist, whether or not his works appeals to a particular person, SPEAKS to those his works resonates with precisely as you describe. A sense of wonder and delight as you said.
Paul: some of the paintings of Velasquez includes among their subjects "court dwarfs," what we now call "little people." Since at least the Old Kingdom of Egypt (King Den of the I Dynasty) down to about 1800, court dwarfs were regular members of royal and aristocratic households. They provided amusement and companionship to their patrons. And the most intelligent and able were entrusted with tasks which were occasionally of some importance.
I mentioned these court dwarfs because we see this custom in one of the stories of Poul Anderson's Technic Series, "Esau." On pages 108-9 of my hardback copy of THE EARTHBOOK OF STORMGATE (Berkley: 1978), we read: "The Thalassocrat addressed Dalmady by voice alone, in the blue glimmering ice cavern of his audience chamber. Earphones reduced the upper frequencies to some the man could hear. Nonetheless, that squeak and gibber always rather spoiled the otherwise impressive effect of flower crown and carven staff. So did the dwarfs, hunchbacks, and cripples who squatted on rugs and skin draped benches. It was not known why household servants were always recruited among the handicapped. Suleimanites had tried to explain when asked, but their meaning never came through."
It seems plain that court dwarfs in royal households on the sub-jovian planet Suleiman had, for reasons not quite understandable to humans, a special status. Also, they were among the advisers of the kings, as we see when one Suleimanite, not used to speaking to men, became totally incomprehensible to Dalmady: "One of the midgets stumped forward. Dalmady recognized him. A bright man dwelt in that poor little body, drank deep of whatever knowledge about the universe was offered, and in return had frequently helped with counsel or knowledge."
It's interesting how this discussion of Velasquez's painting "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" also led me to finding an example or analog of the old human custom of court dwarfs in one of Anderson's Technic stories. A discussion of a PAINTING somehow leading to a discussion of a PROSE science fiction story!
I'm dismayed! I used the wrong in one of the quotes I took from "Esau" in my previous comment. I should have written "A bright MIND dwelt in that poor litle body...", not "man".
Another thought I had about Velazquez's painting "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" was how the "rough" texture or surface of the painting made the persons shown seem so much more realistic than a photograph can show. Photographs inevitably smooths out and flattens such details. Photographs can't show the brush strokes.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Many thanks for this flattering blog piece mentioning me! It was many years ago that I first saw this Velasquez painting and of how strangely, deeply it affected me. And to see this painting of the Spanish prince and his dwarf reawakened those feelings in me. In fact, to actually SEE the portrait in person made it more REAL to me than any photograph could do. To see in person the depth, color, ranges of thought and emotions Velazquez could reveal in his subjects and evoke in the persons viewing the painting was an EXPERIENCE.
I'm very pleased Poul Anderson included Velasquez in his list of some of the greatest artists of human history in THE BYWORLDER.
Sean
I should have added to my previous comment that one reason I was so enthusiastic on again seeing "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" was that the persons in it looked so much more THREE DIMENSIONAL in person than what any photograph could do, depict, or attain.
Sean
'In fact, to actually SEE the portrait in person made it more REAL to me than any photograph could do. To see in person the depth, color, ranges of thought and emotions Velazquez could reveal in his subjects and evoke in the persons viewing the painting was an EXPERIENCE.'
A few years ago, we had the absolute joy of a major exhibition of Picasso, in the form of sculptures, paintings, sketches and anything else that he could lay his creative hands on. Not to everyone's taste, I know, but that surge of delight when walking into a series of rooms packed with genius was never to be forgotten - a fact thst takes on more importance as I get older and more disabled.
More art for everyone, I say! :-)
Kaor, Ketlan and Paul!
Ketlan: I agree with the principle you are enunciating here. A great artist, whether or not his works appeals to a particular person, SPEAKS to those his works resonates with precisely as you describe. A sense of wonder and delight as you said.
Paul: some of the paintings of Velasquez includes among their subjects "court dwarfs," what we now call "little people." Since at least the Old Kingdom of Egypt (King Den of the I Dynasty) down to about 1800, court dwarfs were regular members of royal and aristocratic households. They provided amusement and companionship to their patrons. And the most intelligent and able were entrusted with tasks which were occasionally of some importance.
I mentioned these court dwarfs because we see this custom in one of the stories of Poul Anderson's Technic Series, "Esau." On pages 108-9 of my hardback copy of THE EARTHBOOK OF STORMGATE (Berkley: 1978), we read: "The Thalassocrat addressed Dalmady by voice alone, in the blue glimmering ice cavern of his audience chamber. Earphones reduced the upper frequencies to some the man could hear. Nonetheless, that squeak and gibber always rather spoiled the otherwise impressive effect of flower crown and carven staff. So did the dwarfs, hunchbacks, and cripples who squatted on rugs and skin draped benches. It was not known why household servants were always recruited among the handicapped. Suleimanites had tried to explain when asked, but their meaning never came through."
It seems plain that court dwarfs in royal households on the sub-jovian planet Suleiman had, for reasons not quite understandable to humans, a special status. Also, they were among the advisers of the kings, as we see when one Suleimanite, not used to speaking to men, became totally incomprehensible to Dalmady: "One of the midgets stumped forward. Dalmady recognized him. A bright man dwelt in that poor little body, drank deep of whatever knowledge about the universe was offered, and in return had frequently helped with counsel or knowledge."
It's interesting how this discussion of Velasquez's painting "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" also led me to finding an example or analog of the old human custom of court dwarfs in one of Anderson's Technic stories. A discussion of a PAINTING somehow leading to a discussion of a PROSE science fiction story!
Sean
I'm dismayed! I used the wrong in one of the quotes I took from "Esau" in my previous comment. I should have written "A bright MIND dwelt in that poor litle body...", not "man".
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Another thought I had about Velazquez's painting "Don Baltasar Carlos and His Dwarf" was how the "rough" texture or surface of the painting made the persons shown seem so much more realistic than a photograph can show. Photographs inevitably smooths out and flattens such details. Photographs can't show the brush strokes.
Sean
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