Theory NOWTheory NOWA discursive site about the relevance of art theory now. Articles
Transcendence of Site
2007-04-26 22:57:00 Administrator?s Note: This week, Antea Roberts grapples with the dilemma of ?site-specificity? and the ?late Modernist? sculpture of Richard Serra.Juli Carson speaks of Richard Serra?s Tilted Arc and the controversy surrounding his site-specific piece, but can a site-specific work really be site-specific if it interferes with the environment? Carson states there is ??a dialectic between a work seen to transcend any physical union with its site and a work seen to transcend any physical contradiction with its site? (pg 332). So what are you really trying to comment on with a work of art like this? How the work interacts with the environment or how the public reacts to a work placed in their environment, disrupting life? Carson goes on to question whether sculpture can be defined neither as architecture nor as landscape. Could Serra?s Tilted Arc be defined as all three? Can sculpture be site-specific in a gallery space? The lighting, public surrounding the piece, and how they fit into... More About: Site , Trans , Transcend , Tran
Transcendence of Site
2007-04-26 22:57:00 Administrator?s Note: This week, Antea Roberts grapples with the dilemma of ?site-specificity? and the ?late Modernist? sculpture of Richard Serra.Juli Carson speaks of Richard Serra?s Tilted Arc and the controversy surrounding his site-specific piece, but can a site-specific work really be site-specific if it interferes with the environment? Carson states there is ??a dialectic between a work seen to transcend any physical union with its site and a work seen to transcend any physical contradiction with its site? (pg 332). So what are you really trying to comment on with a work of art like this? How the work interacts with the environment or how the public reacts to a work placed in their environment, disrupting life? Carson goes on to question whether sculpture can be defined neither as architecture nor as landscape. Could Serra?s Tilted Arc be defined as all three? Can sculpture be site-specific in a gallery space? The lighting, public surrounding the piece, and how they fit into... More About: Site , Tran
Transparency of Use
2007-04-22 00:09:00 Administrator's note: This week I have elected to re-post an essay that I wrote on Nana Last's dissection of "conceptual architecture" and the "privileging of use."____________________________________ __________________ " . . . conceptualism's redefinition of the territory of the arts threatens not simply architecture's autonomy as it is often defined through the emphasis on objecthood and functionality, but, further still, the logical implication of this boundary shift potentially challenges the 20th Century's priority on function upon which that boundary is often defined. While this situation can be and often is understood as a disciplinary territorial battle, that debate serves largely to mask the premises upon which those territorial lines are drawn. Whereas the question can be what distinguishes the functional from the non-functional arts, or even whether such a distinction can be drawn, the more interesting concern lies around the mechanisms whereby utility is set up - a... More About: Transparency , Spar , Tran , Pare
Transparency of Use
2007-04-22 00:09:00 Administrator's note: This week I have elected to re-post an essay that I wrote on Nana Last's dissection of "conceptual architecture" and the "privileging of use."____________________________________ __________________ " . . . conceptualism's redefinition of the territory of the arts threatens not simply architecture's autonomy as it is often defined through the emphasis on objecthood and functionality, but, further still, the logical implication of this boundary shift potentially challenges the 20th Century's priority on function upon which that boundary is often defined. While this situation can be and often is understood as a disciplinary territorial battle, that debate serves largely to mask the premises upon which those territorial lines are drawn. Whereas the question can be what distinguishes the functional from the non-functional arts, or even whether such a distinction can be drawn, the more interesting concern lies around the mechanisms whereby utility is set up - a... More About: Transparency , Trans , Spar , Tran , Pare
The Future
2007-04-12 14:54:00 Administrator?s note: Arash Mokhtar lives and works in New York City, maintaining a studio in Brooklyn where he works on his paintings, photography, collage and sculpture, continually entertaining studio visits to court gallery representation. He also writes, and his essays and reviews are considered and occasionally published online at ArtCritical. Professionally, Arash transitioned from the decorative and scenic art world to the independent film industry in New York, working as Assistant Director, Art Director and Production Designer on productions, features and shorts. He is currently working on a feature screenplay and adapting a Mark Twain essay into a short film.His essay, ?The Future ,? represents a recently graduated fine artist?s view of contemporary art?s possibilities. While maintaining an incendiary and distinctively critical tone, his inquiry ranges from the art market?s ?power? structure to the scourge of ?relativism,? finally yielding to the dialectics of historicity.... More About: The Future
The Future
2007-04-12 14:54:00 Administrator?s note: Arash Mokhtar lives and works in New York City, maintaining a studio in Brooklyn where he works on his paintings, photography, collage and sculpture, continually entertaining studio visits to court gallery representation. He also writes, and his essays and reviews are considered and occasionally published online at ArtCritical. Professionally, Arash transitioned from the decorative and scenic art world to the independent film industry in New York, working as Assistant Director, Art Director and Production Designer on productions, features and shorts. He is currently working on a feature screenplay and adapting a Mark Twain essay into a short film.His essay, ?The Future ,? represents a recently graduated fine artist?s view of contemporary art?s possibilities. While maintaining an incendiary and distinctively critical tone, his inquiry ranges from the art market?s ?power? structure to the scourge of ?relativism,? finally yielding to the dialectics of historicity.... More About: The Future
New Asia: Endgame of Late Capitalism
2007-04-06 19:00:00 Administrator’s note: This week’s post by Patrick Donovan weighs in on the contested nature of “late capitalist culture” as epitomized in contemporary art in the “New Asia .”Lee Weng Choy in Authenticity, Reflexivity, and Spectacle, Or, the Rise of New Asia is not the End of the World, posits Singapore, or more broadly a "New Asia," as representing the telos, or end point, of the culture of late capitalist history. This culture is characterized by vulgar, violent, and repetitive spectacle as evidenced, for example, on Singapore television. Choy suggests, based on writings by Walter Benjamin, that this late capitalist culture views history as not progressive, but merely a montage, or juxtaposition of moments in time. Thus, apparently, late capitalist culture is essentially a juxtaposition of otherwise disconnected images and ideas without any historical sense. Citing Arthur Danto, Choy states that late capitalist culture is reflected in contemporary art, which is ch... More About: Game , Capitalism , Late , Capital
New Asia: Endgame of Late Capitalism
2007-04-06 19:00:00 Administrator?s note: This week?s post by Patrick Donovan weighs in on the contested nature of ?late capitalist culture? as epitomized in contemporary art in the ?New Asia .?Lee Weng Choy in Authenticity, Reflexivity, and Spectacle, Or, the Rise of New Asia is not the End of the World, posits Singapore, or more broadly a "New Asia," as representing the telos, or end point, of the culture of late capitalist history. This culture is characterized by vulgar, violent, and repetitive spectacle as evidenced, for example, on Singapore television. Lee suggests, based on writings by Walter Benjamin, that this late capitalist culture views history as not progressive, but merely a montage, or juxtaposition of moments in time. Thus, apparently, late capitalist culture is essentially a juxtaposition of otherwise disconnected images and ideas without any historical sense. Citing Arthur Danto, Lee states that late capitalist culture is reflected in contemporary art, which is characterized by... More About: Capitalism , Late , Endgame
Mythologies & Difference
2007-03-29 03:55:00 Administrator’s note: Liana Cohen-Matteini posts on the controversial 1993 Whitney Biennial and continues our line of inquiry concerning mythologies and identity.. The Myth ology of Difference : Vulgar Identity Politics at the Whitney Biennial by Charles A. Wright, Jr. discusses the major issue of “whiteness” and also its relationship to American culture and identity. The way in which artists represent their racial culture, versus the way the museum represents the same culture through curatorial censorship is a major discussion. How do artists represent their work? Can I only speak for “white women” in my work because that is what I am? How do the museums as an institution and the curators as individuals reflect or suppress certain artists and artworks? These issues of diversity have been harshly critiqued in the [‘93] Whitney Biennial. The way in which one defines the concept of these cultures is key, because it is the backbone of how one approaches the issue of racia... More About: Ferenc , Logies , Logi
Mythologies & Difference
2007-03-29 03:55:00 Administrator?s note: Liana Cohen-Matteini posts on the controversial 1993 Whitney Biennial and continues our line of inquiry concerning mythologies and identity.. The Myth ology of Difference : Vulgar Identity Politics at the Whitney Biennial by Charles A. Wright, Jr. discusses the major issue of ?whiteness? and also its relationship to American culture and identity. The way in which artists represent their racial culture, versus the way the museum represents the same culture through curatorial censorship is a major discussion. How do artists represent their work? Can I only speak for ?white women? in my work because that is what I am? How do the museums as an institution and the curators as individuals reflect or suppress certain artists and artworks? These issues of diversity have been harshly critiqued in the [?93] Whitney Biennial. The way in which one defines the concept of these cultures is key, because it is the backbone of how one approaches the issue of racial identity i... More About: Ferenc , Logies , Logi
Mythic "Being"
2007-03-22 16:42:00 Administrator’s note: This week we read the transcript of Adrian Piper’s ‘Cornered’ video-installation. Nicholas Carr posts this week, to address the various ‘issues’ of identity, image and ‘being.’ It seems as though Adrian Piper speaks about a problem of racial classification but only further entrenches the differences she perceives. Her statements are very antagonistic not only to "white" readers, she states very clearly that if you have an issue with anything she is saying – YOU have a problem. That sets you on the defensive and implies that if you object to anything she’s saying you are a racist. That is no way to have a conversation. In the beginning of the writing Piper seems to imply that if she doesn’t state that she is "black," she is "white" – she is "black," whether or not she states it. I am "white," and it will be that way whether or not I state it. When there is an issue with anyone BEING who they are, we need to address it. Is... More About: Bein , Being , Myth
Mythic "Being"
2007-03-22 16:42:00 Administrator?s note: This week we read the transcript of Adrian Piper?s ?Cornered? video-installation. Nicholas Carr posts this week, to address the various ?issues? of identity, image and ?being.? It seems as though Adrian Piper speaks about a problem of racial classification but only further entrenches the differences she perceives. Her statements are very antagonistic not only to "white" readers, she states very clearly that if you have an issue with anything she is saying ? YOU have a problem. That sets you on the defensive and implies that if you object to anything she?s saying you are a racist. That is no way to have a conversation. In the beginning of the writing Piper seems to imply that if she doesn?t state that she is "black," she is "white" ? she is "black," whether or not she states it. I am "white," and it will be that way whether or not I state it. When there is an issue with anyone BEING who they are, we need to address it. Is Piper suggesting the fa... More About: Myth
Censorship in Art
2007-03-08 21:33:00 Administrator?s note: Katie Brownell tackles the difficult issue of institutional censorship, posing some pertinent questions for this week?s discussion. In her articles, "Feminist Fundamentalism: Women Against Images" and "The War on Culture", Carole S. Vance brings up various cases of censorship, including at the University of Michigan and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In the first case, law students de-installed the exhibition "Porn'im'age'ry: Picturing Prostitution," claiming it was pornographic. A similar claim convinced the Corcoran [Museum] to cancel a retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe's photography [?The Perfect Moment?] shortly before it was to open. Vance refers to both cases as outright examples of censorship. However, especially in the case of museums, is it always right to immediately condemn the institution for censorship when they rely on public and private funding that could drastically decrease depending on the museums' choice of exhibitions? ... More About: Censorship
Censorship in Art
2007-03-08 21:33:00 Administrator’s note: Katie Brownell tackles the difficult issue of institutional censorship, posing some pertinent questions for this week’s discussion. In her articles, "Feminist Fundamentalism: Women Against Images" and "The War on Culture", Carole S. Vance brings up various cases of censorship, including at the University of Michigan and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In the first case, law students de-installed the exhibition "Porn'im'age'ry: Picturing Prostitution," claiming it was pornographic. A similar claim convinced the Corcoran [Museum] to cancel a retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe's photography [“The Perfect Moment”] shortly before it was to open. Vance refers to both cases as outright examples of censorship. However, especially in the case of museums, is it always right to immediately condemn the institution for censorship when they rely on public and private funding that could drastically decrease depending on the museums' choice of exhibi... More About: Censorship , Ship
Space Between Screens
2007-03-01 05:50:00 Administrator's note: Emma Riley posts this week on recent views and critiques of "screen practice." In Liz Kotz's "Video Projection: The Space Between Screen s" she showcases the evolution of video projection from its roots in a television monitor to Douglas Gordon's alteration of Hollywood blockbusters to Matthew Barney's elaborate video productions. Kotz speaks of video art as high-tech paintings that straddle the high culture of the commodification of art with the pop culture aesthetics of Hollywood. This argument makes the wide spread acceptance of video art easy to understand. Kotz quotes film historian David James: "Projection itself becomes the site of creativity, where somatic passivity of theatrical consumption is replaced by ecstatic engagement." The narrative in video will create conclusions for you, unlike that of painting. Have we as viewers conformed to that which is easy? Video projection enables a collapse of the interior and exterior worlds, the interior ... More About: Pace , Ween
Space Between Screens
2007-03-01 05:50:00 Administrator's note: Emma Riley posts this week on recent views and critiques of "screen practice." In Liz Kotz's "Video Projection: The Space Between Screens" she showcases the evolution of video projection from its roots in a television monitor to Douglas Gordon's alteration of Hollywood blockbusters to Matthew Barney's elaborate video productions. Kotz speaks of video art as high-tech paintings that straddle the high culture of the commodification of art with the pop culture aesthetics of Hollywood. This argument makes the wide spread acceptance of video art easy to understand. Kotz quotes film historian David James: "Projection itself becomes the site of creativity, where somatic passivity of theatrical consumption is replaced by ecstatic engagement." The narrative in video will create conclusions for you, unlike that of painting. Have we as viewers conformed to that which is easy? Video projection enables a collapse of the interior and exterior worlds, the interior ... More About: Ween , Cree
"yBa's" as Critique
2007-02-08 15:30:00 Administrator's note: This week's topic post is by Mia Montazzoli, who addresses questions raised concerning the use of Duchamp's "readymade" technique by the emergent British artists of the 1990's.In July of 1988 Damien Hirst organized an exhibition of his own work as well as fellow students from the Goldsmiths College in London. The show was called “Freeze” and the artists became well known for their rebellion against conventional boundaries. The artists in “Freeze” would later be known by a title of “yBa’s” (young British artists), and would dominate the British art scene in the 1990’s. In James Gaywood’s “Yba as Crit ique : The Socio-Political Inferences of the Mediated Identity of Recent British Art” he discusses the techniques in which this group of self-promoting young artists operates to set themselves a place in history. Gaywood recognizes that without artists like Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters the work in “Freeze” would not have had the s... More About: Ique
"yBa's" as Critique
2007-02-08 15:30:00 Administrator's note: This week's topic post is by Mia Montazzoli, who addresses questions raised concerning the use of Duchamp's "readymade" technique by the emergent British artists of the 1990's.In July of 1988 Damien Hirst organized an exhibition of his own work as well as fellow students from the Goldsmiths College in London. The show was called ?Freeze? and the artists became well known for their rebellion against conventional boundaries. The artists in ?Freeze? would later be known by a title of ?yBa?s? (young British artists), and would dominate the British art scene in the 1990?s. In James Gaywood?s ?Yba as Critique : The Socio-Political Inferences of the Mediated Identity of Recent British Art? he discusses the techniques in which this group of self-promoting young artists operates to set themselves a place in history. Gaywood recognizes that without artists like Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters the work in ?Freeze? would not have had the same significance. The work...
One Art Fair After Another
2007-02-01 15:23:00 Administrator?s note: This week?s topic is by Rebecca Jones, who provokes an inquiry into the relationship between site specificity and the ubiquitous ?art fairs.? In Miwon Kwon?s ?One Place After Another: Notes on Site Specificity?, Kwon lays out a chronological history of the types of sites that site specific works have worked with and within. The text was written in 1997 and an interesting new phenomenon to discuss in the context of sites for art is the more prevalent than ever Art Fair . The nomadic location of the Art Fair is not the same set of limitations for the artist to work within as a gallery or museum because it is not a physically grounded site. However, the Art Fair carries with it the same framing function that the gallery does, by being in a fixed and enclosed context, politically, geographically, and culturally. The context shifts from location to location of course, and so the same work is read differently each time, like a traveling exhibition. But now the ...
One Art Fair After Another
2007-02-01 15:23:00 Administrator’s note: This week’s topic is by Rebecca Jones, who provokes an inquiry into the relationship between site specificity and the ubiquitous “art fairs.” In Miwon Kwon’s “One Place After Another : Notes on Site Specificity”, Kwon lays out a chronological history of the types of sites that site specific works have worked with and within. The text was written in 1997 and an interesting new phenomenon to discuss in the context of sites for art is the more prevalent than ever Art Fair . The nomadic location of the Art Fair is not the same set of limitations for the artist to work within as a gallery or museum because it is not a physically grounded site. However, the Art Fair carries with it the same framing function that the gallery does, by being in a fixed and enclosed context, politically, geographically, and culturally. The context shifts from location to location of course, and so the same work is read differently each time, like a traveling exhibition... More About: Other
When Form Becomes Attitude
2007-01-26 04:03:03 Administrator?s note: As a new component of Theory Now this semester, each student will post a topic for discussion based on the assigned weekly reading. This week?s post is by Jackie Ionita.In his essay, ?When Form has Become Attitude and Beyond,? Thierry de Duve talks about how the art teachers of our generation have endured the ?crisis of invention? and ?have never themselves been submitted to the discipline of imitation.? He goes on to say that their teaching results in students who haven?t even had a chance to construct their own ideas of art and of culture and they are already being trained to deconstruct it. Sounds like a case of selling the horse before the cart.As I look back on my education in art school, I realize that this is in fact true, we deconstruct everything we come across with a cynical ?been there, done that? attitude, when in fact we are so young in our art-making that we haven?t been there, and we haven?t done that. Come critique time, we are so quick to d...
When Form Becomes Attitude
2007-01-25 15:02:00 Administrator?s note: As a new component of Theory Now this semester, each student will post a topic for discussion based on the assigned weekly reading. This week?s post is by Jackie Ionita.In his essay, ?When Form has Become Attitude and Beyond,? Thierry de Duve talks about how the art teachers of our generation have endured the ?crisis of invention? and ?have never themselves been submitted to the discipline of imitation.? He goes on to say that their teaching results in students who haven?t even had a chance to construct their own ideas of art and of culture and they are already being trained to deconstruct it. Sounds like a case of selling the horse before the cart.As I look back on my education in art school, I realize that this is in fact true, we deconstruct everything we come across with a cynical ?been there, done that? attitude, when in fact we are so young in our art-making that we haven?t been there, and we haven?t done that. Come critique time, we are so quick to d...
Post-Conceptualism: Epistemic Myth and the Metonymic Avant Garde
2007-01-18 21:43:00 "There is a contemporary tendency of some artists to don the ?cloak of conceptualism? to assume the stylistics of the earlier practice in both visuality and criticality of their work. The new Post -Conceptual ism pervades much of the present work in the global art market yet the resultant art is an empty practice without the knowledge and support of Conceptual Art. It is abundantly clear that Post-Conceptualism must address the essential theories of Conceptual Art as a validated art movement and continue its impact within the historicity of art."(Excerpt from Mark Cameron Boyd syllabus, Copyright 2007.) My Spring ?07 Corcoran College of Art + Design theory course will focus on visual artists of Post-Conceptual practice whose work is informed by the original Conceptual Art of the 1960?s. We seek to distinguish the contemporary art that is an "authentic reflection of the theories posited by the original conceptualists, and whether these artists have engaged the theories in ways ... More About: Avant-Garde , Avant , Myth
Appropriation, Collage and the Cultural Condition
2007-01-02 03:45:01 Administrator's Note:This is the first in a series of guest essays by current or former students of my Theory Now course at Corcoran College of Art + Design. In her insightful essay, Rebecca Jones unveils the rich history of appropriation, from collage to the Internet, citing from a variety of sources to engage in cogent connections that reveal the ongoing theoretical "substance" in the "style." Appropriation in art has become so widely used today that the once radical and overt political tones of collage have come to be commonplace in the lexicon of American culture. Appropriated materials were first employed in Picasso and Braque?s collages using chair cane, oil cloths, objects of the real world, in their still-lives, challenging preconceived notions about representation in artwork. The Dada artists took collage and appropriated materials and made them (along with their violent juxtaposing of the images) the main focus in the work, as a reaction to the irrational and horrific ... More About: Cult , Cultura , Condition , The Cult , Cultural
Appropriation, Collage and the Cultural Condition
2007-01-01 17:43:00 Administrator's Note:This is the first in a series of guest essays by current or former students of my Theory Now course at Corcoran Coll ege of Art + Design. In her insightful essay, Rebecca Jones unveils the rich history of appropriation, from collage to the Internet, citing from a variety of sources to engage in cogent connections that reveal the ongoing theoretical "substance" in the "style." Appropriation in art has become so widely used today that the once radical and overt political tones of collage have come to be commonplace in the lexicon of American culture. Appropriated materials were first employed in Picasso and Braque?s collages using chair cane, oil cloths, objects of the real world, in their still-lives, challenging preconceived notions about representation in artwork. The Dada artists took collage and appropriated materials and made them (along with their violent juxtaposing of the images) the main focus in the work, as a reaction to the irrational and horrific ... More About: Condition , Cultural , Condi , Ural
Reflections on the Playground
2006-12-16 03:31:03 As Logocentric Play ground comes to a close, and before I make some general comments here on my experiences and the knowledge gained during the installation, I should provide a brief background on the history and purpose of the work:My art practice has evolved from original text written on panels, using my particular ?text-bisection process? and resulting in a dense veil of fragmented sentences, works that addressed the difficulties of meaning in this system of representation that we call language. Around a year ago I began to write a proposal for an installation of blackboard panels to be presented as ?inactive? and open to public interaction, this interaction to take the form of ?deciphering? my writing with provided chalk. The reason that I called these proposed blackboard panels ?inactive? was that only with the hands-on action of a site-visitor would the interactive process actually become a literal "questioning" of the fragility of meaning in the written word.IlluminationsOn... More About: Reflections , Ground , Reflection , Round
Reflections on the Playground
2006-12-16 00:18:00 As Logocentric Playground comes to a close, and before I make some general comments here on my experiences and the knowledge gained during the installation, I should provide a brief background on the history and purpose of the work:My art practice has evolved from original text written on panels, using my particular ?text-bisection process? and resulting in a dense veil of fragmented sentences, works that addressed the difficulties of meaning in this system of representation that we call language. Around a year ago I began to write a proposal for an installation of blackboard panels to be presented as ?inactive? and open to public interaction, this interaction to take the form of ?deciphering? my writing with provided chalk. The reason that I called these proposed blackboard panels ?inactive? was that only with the hands-on action of a site-visitor would the interactive process actually become a literal "questioning" of the fragility of meaning in the written word.IlluminationsOn... More About: Reflections
Authority of Historicity
2006-12-09 15:26:04 It is unfortunate that we had to end our discussion yesterday, as I was just beginning to enjoy what would surely have become our long critique of Pluralism: The Tyranny of Freedom. Suzi Gablik?s essay is problematic for a couple of reasons that I want to quickly mention here, and I expect that I may not use this particular reading in future Theory NOW coursework as the scant insights of the piece are plagued by her insistent premise regarding a moral imperative that she assigns to the postmodern artist. Gablik?s position is at least partially based on her misrepresentation of Aristotelian principles regarding ethics, as evidenced by the following:To us, productivity means efficiency of output ? works of art coming off an ethically blank assembly line like automobiles ? but not the individual?s potential for creating himself, for becoming, as Aristotle proposed, an excellent person.(1)In my own humble and academic understanding of Aristotle?s practical intellect I recall a definit... More About: Author , Authority , Historic , City , Stor
Authority of Historicity
2006-12-08 04:14:00 It is unfortunate that we had to end our discussion yesterday, as I was just beginning to enjoy what would surely have become our long critique of Pluralism: The Tyranny of Freedom. Suzi Gablik?s essay is problematic for a couple of reasons that I want to quickly mention here, and I expect that I may not use this particular reading in future Theory NOW coursework as the scant insights of the piece are plagued by her insistent premise regarding a moral imperative that she assigns to the postmodern artist. Gablik?s position is at least partially based on her misrepresentation of Aristotelian principles regarding ethics, as evidenced by the following:To us, productivity means efficiency of output ? works of art coming off an ethically blank assembly line like automobiles ? but not the individual?s potential for creating himself, for becoming, as Aristotle proposed, an excellent person.(1)In my own humble and academic understanding of Aristotle?s practical intellect I recall a definit... More About: Authority
Lecter's Lecture
More articles from this author:2006-12-02 15:21:19 "Della Vigna was disgraced and blinded for his betrayal of the emperor's trust through his avarice," Dr. Lecter said, approaching his principal topic. "Dante's pilgrim found him in the seventh level of inferno, reserved for suicides. Like Judas Iscariot, he died by hanging. Judas and Pier della Vigna and Ahithophel, the ambitious counselor of Absalom, are linked in Dante by the avarice he saw in them and by their subsequent deaths by hanging.""Avarice and hanging are linked in the ancient and the medieval mind: St. Jerome writes that Judas' very surname, Iscariot means 'money' or 'price', while Father Origen says Iscariot is derived from the Hebrew 'from suffocation' and that his name means 'Judas the Suffocated. . . "Dr. Lecter resumed his podium voice. "Avarice and hanging, then, linked since antiquity, the image appearing again and again in art." Dr. Lecter pressed the switch in his palm and the projector came to life, throwing an image on the drop cloth covering the w... 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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