Category: art

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Friedrich: “Wanderer in the Fog”

The German Romantic painter Caspar (or Kaspar) David Friedrich (1774-1840) captures the psychological undercurrent of individualism in his “Wander in the Fog” or “Wanderer in the Sea of Fog” (“Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer”), 1817. The painting depicts a well-dressed man standing on a crag, with a spectacular landscape before him. Is he a mere object in the immensity of nature, or does his pose suggest that humanity — or he, at least — has conquered the mysteries of existence and now stands triumphant over the world? Frederich’s other works depicting bleak romantic (even Gothic) settings does not suggest triumph or clarity. But a Nietzschean interpretation is inevitable, as in the cover art of an older English-language translation of Thus Spake Zarathustra published by Wilco in Mumbai, India, in 2006 (which see here).

Wanderer in the Fog

The original is in the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

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Ni Zan, 14th cent. Chinese hermit painter

This China Daily article highlights the 14th-century Chinese landscape painter Ni Zan (Ni Tsan), known as the “hermit of cloud forest.”

“You hardly find images of people in his paintings, except for maybe a few Taoist monks, as he regarded ordinary people as so much less attractive than what he imagined and depicted in his art,” notes Lu Li, director of the curatorial department of Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu province.

URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sunday/2011-09/18/content_13727099.htm

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Carlo Bevilacqua’s hermit photos

“Into The Silence: Hermits of The Third Millennium” is a photographic gallery of Italian photographer Carlo Bevilacqua. Featured are over 50 photographs of hermits of India, Orthodox hermits of Greece and Georgia, Christian hermits of Italy, and secular hermits, plus their dwellings. Bevilacqua’s work is clear, focused, humane, and empathetic.

The photographer has communicated to Hermitary that he is looking for contemporary hermits pursuing silence and retreat for a new project. Contact the photographer at info at carlobevilacqua dot com and indicate that you learned of him at Hermitary.

From the gallery:

They are not so many, but their presence and their witness have a powerful and fascinating effect. They live sometimes isolated in small apartments in the heart of our cities, most often they stay by the side of woods and villages. They build their own retreat or put away old rectory and chapels that previously fell to pieces.

The phenomenon has been observed in the late eighties and recent years have seen a steady increase in number. Extraordinary stories and portraits of surprising humanity which strike for the radical and the beauty of life that flows from it. …

URL: http://www.carlobevilacqua.com/html/album.php?id_album=31

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“The Misguided Monk”

from the producer: “When an old hermit monk has his day interrupted by an uninvited guest, he is unwillingly taken on a journey to discover the true meaning of companionship.” Brought to our attention by a friend of Hermitary.

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“Hermit Wanted” – short story

“Hermit Wanted” by British writer Mick Jackson is a short story about an ornamental hermit in a contemporary setting. The Guardian offers a downloadable podcast reading by Prunella Scales (22:16). Summary from the website:

When Giles and Virginia buy a big old house in the country, they decide to run it in grand style, complete with deer park, follies and peacocks strutting on the croquet lawn. Mick Jackson tells how the discovery of a cave in the woods leaves them with a situation vacant

URL: http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-7406412/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ndWFyZGlhbi5jby51ay9ib29rcy9hdWRpby8yMDEwL25vdi8yMi9zaG9ydC1zdG9yeS1taWNrLWphY2tzb24tcHJ1bmVsbGEtc2NhbGVz