Since its creation at the beginning of the fourteenth century; Dantes Divine Comedymdash;a masterpiece of European literaturemdash;has moved legendary artists such as William Blake and Gustave Doreacute; to illustrate the famed poem. John Flaxman; English sculptor; draughtsman; and renowned Wedgwood designer; was no exception. Commissioned at the end of the eighteenth century by famed art collector and author Thomas Hope; Flaxmans 110 illustrations of the Divine Comedy are known as his greatest achievement. Deceptively simple; awash in pathos; and recalling antique imagery in a classically Greek style; they themselves became an inspiration for such artists as Goya and Ingres; and were used as an academic source for nineteenth-century art students. This magnificent edition of Flaxmans Illustrations for Dantes Divine Comedy includes the complete series of drawings created by Flaxman for all 99 cantos of the literary masterwork. A glorious collection of lively outlines that captures the very spirit of Dantes poem; it is an essential addition to the bookshelves of art; literature; and history enthusiasts. Captions are included from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation of the original text.
#2268033 in eBooks 2013-02-20 2013-02-20File Name: B00A44C0VO
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Christmas Through a Vogel PrismBy Kevin L. NenstielEverybody views holidays through their own prism. Paula Vogel; whose body of work substantially focuses on family trauma; sees Christmas through the prism of fights; resentments; estrangement; and sexual alienation. Nobody whos seen How I Learned to Drive will be surprised by the themes of this play. What will surprise them is the form.This play takes elements of Bunraku puppet plays and Japanese Noh theatre and folds them into the sort of Christmas pageant a local church would stage; short on technical know-how and long on love. But instead of a celebration of Baby Jesus; this play dissects the way harsh words thrown out flippantly can come back into a persons life years later. Unforgiving and unsentimental; though not entirely without hope; Vogel here presents us a Christmas where three children make decisions that will resonate through the rest of their lives.At an estimate; this play would probably run to about forty-five minutes in performance. But because of the special technical needs; the script runs a little longer than that might normally require. And because this play is so emotionally dense; reading it can be a downright brutal experience. I recommend breaking the reading into two or three segments; even though you could read the whole thing in ninety minutes or less.In her notes; Vogel recommends not producing this play during December. I recommend also not reading it during that time. But if you are a lover of theatre--not Broadway spectaculars; but the spontaneous; human-driven theatre that got many of us into the art form to start with--this play wrings out the full range of human emotion and rewards you with the catharsis Aristotle loved so much.A rich; difficult; but rewarding theatrical experience. Not for people weaned on the simplicity of TV; but if you are unafraid of the emotional possibilities of human performance; this play has a great deal to offer to audiences and producers alike.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Vogel reviewBy Amy K.I loved this! When I saw she was using puppets; I mistakenly assumed this play was going to be sweet and precious.WRONG! She really tackles some touch subjects in an original and engaging way. I understand the play was influenced by Thornton Wilders short play THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER; which helps me to appreciate the original from a different perspective.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A swift moving family drama illuminated by puppetryBy AcoMy girlfriend and I read this in about an hour; and we were both impressed and moved by the clearly autobiographical expressions Paula Vogel shared and excercised. There is wonderful theatricality to be read (and seen if lucky) in the Bunraku-style puppets exemplifying the vision of her seminal anti-warm and fuzzy Christmas ride home with her brother; sister and parents.In many respects this is a heavily therapeutic work; almost something Ms. Vogel had been needing to present. The urgency to share her painful upbringing and the deep wounds that helped carve herself and her siblings proves startling when imagining the three children as puppets; beholden to their parents traumatic relationship; trapped in cars and apartments; suffering so greatly on a night others are seemingly so happy.In conclusion it cannot be stressed enough how amazing it is to experience an artists deepest; most painful and most loving visions of their life. It is what all artists strive for. In The Long Christmas Ride Home; Ms. Vogel shared her great love and pain; communicating them to me with pathos and wit.It is to be noted that in the version I read-no the Dramatists Play Service one-there is a collection of letters she received from her brother Carl; which were as interesting and moving as the play itself.