Northern Sky: Free-Verse

Northern Sky: Free-Verse

By Armando Ortiz

I was conceived in the heart of a growing city

where youth overflowed and were pushed north,

I was born under the northern sky

towards the west where Aries floats near Perseus.

I gave my first cry to the angels of that place,

while they were busy chasing stars.

I was followed by its galactic embrace,

inside planes and mountain trails.

It’s been a silent shelter,

a deep blue safety blanket. 

It’s protected my journeys,

together we traced the contours of China.

It’s kept me warm under the splendor of night 

and bathed me with the cover of midday light.

Its midwest sun passed me by

as I raced towards the western mesas.

In the endless hours through unknown places,

the suspended constellations were my anchor.

Even as I sailed deeper into the ocean of life’s experiences,

the daily burst of stars became the coast of my youth.

Where the waves of time crash with the moment,

and the sound of the turning universe births each second.

Wherever I was, there it was

a different hue of blue but always true.

Jose Saramago's The Gospel According to Jesus Christ: Book Review and Reflection

Jose Saramago’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ: Book Review

By Armando Ortiz

Have you ever wondered why many of our holidays revolve around the life of Jesus? Jose Saramago’s novel, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, explores the missing instances of Jesus’s life and their impact on Earth. His story will make readers reconsider the impact that narrative has had on our lives. In this essay I will briefly summarize key points of the novel and then reflect on its significance alongside the Bible.

The novel presents a unique portrayal of Jesus living in the Fertile Crescent's cultural milieu. Saramago delves into Jesus’ character, emphasizing his inner conflicts about his destiny and the impact he will have on civilizations.

Saramago’s Jesus is attempting to come to grips with his existence, and his desire for guidance creates empathy for him. He is rejected by his family and embraced by his companion Mary. He questions the need for rituals, as when he purchases a lamb to take to the temple, and then questions the eventual sacrifice of his body. 

In one scene, Jesus attempts to help out the communities he visits, but ends up adversely affecting the other surrounding towns of the lake. Scenes like these will make you think of our own choices and actions with the reactions that occur.

While in the middle of the Sea of Galilee he confronts his creator. During that meeting the fallen angel who announced his birth, and taught him to become a shepherd appears. The devil’s appearance is not intended to incite but to observe and study the deity- turned human. The pastor, in his own way, assumes a role offering alternatives, and raises questions about the evolving realities. This prompts Jesus to contemplate his existence and the path his life has taken. Saramago’s devil isn’t the horned demon that we’ve all come to know from the bible and ideas that orbit Western thought. Satan shows up to observe and to ask questions.

Furthermore, Saramago’s character is open to learning and following. Jesus is autonomous, although not so free from the perspective of the devil. The novel makes you question the existence of Jesus. Whether for good or bad, his life and ideas ended up having an impact on human history. Saramago’s character lets himself be taken by the flow of experiences, getting as dirty as we get. He never claims to be free of sin, and religious piety is non-existent in light of the unreasonable religious demands. He has a clean spirit, but is physically impure. He becomes like one of us.

Nevertheless, the lingering question posed by this novel is whether the scenes from the Bible being portrayed are fiction. This renders all associated ideas within it as fictional. Heaven and hell, good and evil, and all other beliefs connected to the bible are turned upside down by Saramago. After reading the novel I wonder what premises would horror movies have to use if the Christianity did not exist. Morality and sin would be seen from a different perspective. The land where all these events supposedly happened wouldn’t be as sacred and holy as religions claim it to be.

All we have seen in the last two thousand years has been a shadow, the end result, of a narrative that’s had a deep effect on all humanity. Millions of people have been forever affected by the doctrines that emerged in that region of the world. Ideas that sprouted from there altered the trajectory of humanity. 

We only know of Jesus from what the bible tells us, the miracles made, but we don’t get insights into his intentions or into his mind. Saramago’s tale takes place, behind the scenes, the events that were not written down as Jesus became the savior, the perfect lamb to be sacrificed. He places us in the mind of Jesus. For example, Jesus refused to sacrifice his first lamb, refusing to follow the traditions of his people. Yet, what if Jesus had lived the way described in the novel, and what if his mundane interactions and miracles were acts to help those around him. If his attempts at making peace with humanity were true then it would be another story in the series of narratives that describe his life.

Building on this idea, if the impact of Saramago’s tale were similar to the narrative found in the bible, all our belief systems would be different. The conquest of the Americas and the ideas that Natives worshiped the devil would have to change. The religious narratives that emerged out of the bible to justify religious traditions, conquests, and massacres would have been different. Love would be interpreted from a kinder, sympathetic and empathetic perspective like in Saramago’s novel. The beliefs of the second coming of Jesus, Judgement Day and the resurrection would be canceled forever.

Jesus experiences love, family rejection, gossip, town controversy. He has difficulties managing the powers bestowed upon him by the maker. He knew the die was cast and had to follow through with the guilt of knowing what had happened. The visits by a magical being, his father’s cowardice and desire to keep him alive. His unwillingness to make an offering at the temple, experiencing human compassion, kindness from people one would least expect, and falling in love. These scenes and events are left out from the stories found in the Bible. 

In much the same way that the world’s savior narrative emerged, Saramago weaves a narrative that aligns with our preconceptions of who Jesus was- just a person living his life. A man trying to orient himself in the realities that he was living under. Born out of thin air into a milieu of beliefs and traditions, like a puff of smoke, that only reinforced the beliefs of orthodox ideas of other traditions intimately connected to the bible.

In conclusion, Saramago prompts readers to ponder Jesus’ beyond the traditional narrative, challenging established beliefs. His character undergoes love, rejection, controversy, and compassion, humanizing the figure we know today. The novel invites us to explore the impact of second-hand ideas on a global scale. Yet, the narrative also lets us consider the aspects that make us human on a daily basis, showing compassion, helping those in need of help, loving those around us, and sharing time with those that love us back.

The Art of Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myths, Modern Symbolism, and Roberto Bolano's 2666

The Art of Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myths, Modern Symbolism, and Roberto Bolano's 2666

By Armando Ortiz

I was first introduced to the art of Gustav Moreau’s while reading Roberto Bolano’s novel 2666, but really knowing who he was and his art came later. While reading James Joyce’s Ulysses, I learned more about Gustave Moreau. This is when I discovered that the art cover on Bolano’s 2666 was taken from Moreau’s piece titled, Jupiter and Semele. The cover art and the novel it protected fit well with the apocalyptic story that was told inside. 

The symbolism and message projected in that painting was religious, cryptic, political and imbued with so much epic mythology that to come to a full understanding of them is quite a challenge. Nonetheless, even in darkness there is a flicker of light that shines a light that reveals a hidden path. The abstractness of a painting or song is what eventually makes us take a second look, which then opens up to the door a greater understanding of its meaning. This has been the experience I had while learning about Moreau and his art.

My quasi rediscovery came about as I was engrossed in the midst of Ulysses and hit upon a conversation on art and literature that one of the main characters was having, where he described different artists and ideas the concepts they present in their works. In this case the “paintings of Gustav Moreau are the painting of ideas.” (James Joyce, Ulysses p.185)

This reintroduction to his work prompted me to read more about the artist, and become more familiar with his works of art. I learned that Moreau’s art is very apocalyptic and many of his paintings are in watercolor, a medium that was not used much those days. His paintings look apocalyptic with his use of bible imagery and what seems to be related to death and the spirit world. At times you might see angels carrying a dead body. At other times some paintings have a woman carrying the head of a man on a platter. In another instance a head appears to a woman. 

Watercolor paintings are as challenging as using oils. When using oils, you mix white into different colors to replicate light, but with watercolor one builds colors on top of the blank white paper. Once that lightness or white is gone. it is hard to recapture -it can be a compelling process. The hues and combinations of colors are key to his art. In some areas he seems to have saturated the paper with multiple layers of color to the point that backgrounds turned purple or brown. They are contrasted by peach colors or faint lines and deep blue colors that make up his skies. His technique makes you think of light, and how when we look out towards the horizon it is difficult to assimilate into a painting. Though one may try, light and refraction plays a big part in the way we see light and color, and yet Gustave succeeds in this with his paintings.

In his book Gustav Moreau, Jean Selz explains that in Moreau’s attempt to explain his paintings he imbued them with greater meaning. By explaining his works with greater detail than could be seen. (Jean Selz, Gustave Moreau p.36) I was engrossed in learning more about his work and when I visited France I made sure to visit his museum. In 2016 I visited Paris, France and visited the Gustave Moreau Museum. Moreau’s most famous paintings are found in this museum, his former studio. His whole studio seems to have been an attempt at explaining the process of making art. When you walk up the wooden stairs of the building and enter it as if the whole space is a library to the process of his artwork. 

Entering the three story studio is like entering his mind as an artist that from the outside does not seem to be significant. Once inside you see the art he created and the artifacts that helped him create his new paintings. Leaving behind sketch books, incomplete paintings, framed sketches, a library of reference books from all over the world. Everything inside is like a representation of what he considered art. He examined mythologies from Europe, but also of other countries. As you continue to look at his reference books you discover that he studied Buddhist art and the jewelry that decorated the personas were inspired by them. Inside glass cases you find marble hands and feet that most likely served as reference to his works.

A recurring theme of his are the chimera found in many of his paintings. Chimera can mean illusion, dreams or the seeking of things that might not be there. When you visit his museum you see before your eyes the different manifestations of illusions and dreams. In some aspects of understanding one can say that life is a dream, but also that dreams are what make us humans. After carefully looking at one of his most famous paintings I began to wonder if it was a representation of an ancient Maya stela imbued with all its ornaments and jewelry and its symbols undecipherable. 

As you continue to explore, some of the framed paintings seem to be sketches and appear incomplete. Taking a step back I think of all the ancient art that exists today. All that is left is the stone artifact, its color faded and no longer visible, yet it still is a piece of workmanship and it is art. The illusion or dream that Moreau was trying to encapsulate can only be appreciated by visiting the museum. It is there where you get a hint of what he was attempting to do- to encapsulate humanity into symbols that were cross-cultural, the symbol of life and people's thoughts, dreams, goals and illusions.

One need not worry about reading his notes on his paintings. Even if it revealed his worries and thoughts about what he wanted to encapsulate on canvas. What he managed to paint is something that is very much along the lines as one of those songs that one likes to listen to over and over. There is a connection in this case with his creation and the outside which still happens even today. Some might ask, well, what is so special about that, and I say that the same concerns that people back in his day had still exist today. Though the symbols used today are slightly different, there is that concern of whether this life is a dream or not. Moreau created works of art, but also explained what the intended message of his works were. Furthermore, his whole studio was an affirmation that art is a process, it was left as proof of how we must be open to ideas, and that process is influenced by everything around us. 

We are the creators of our destiny and we choose how to define the forces around us, and we can recreate the meanings of these forces as a means to create art. The artist, at times is a prophet and at other times a jester too. In order to appreciate the scope of Gustave Moreau’s art one must experience his art, read about his art, and pay a visit to the place that houses his art. Returning to my initial introduction of his work through Roberto Bolano’s 2666. The characters in that book are also living in a world where cultural traditions play a role in the storylines, but these traditions are also challenged. His characters ultimately make independent choices and attempt to recreate their world in a world that is both filled with traditions, myths, sacred, irreverence, lies and mundane symbolism. Maybe, by him talking about Moreau is his novel and having the art cover be his makes Bolano’s novel more compelling and a testament to the power of art.

Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myth and Modern Symbols

(Jupiter and Semele, 1894-95) G. Moreau

Gustave Moreau: Hieroglyphic Myth and Modern Symbols

By Armando Ortiz

(Fairy and Griffon) G. Moreau

                Understanding Moreau’s works of art and how I came about learning of his work came full circle when realizing that the cover of Bolan’s 2666 was taken from Moreau’s epic piece Jupiter and Semele, where the symbolism and message being projected from his painting are both religious, cryptic, political and imbued with so much epic mythology that to come to a full understanding of them is quite a challenge. The cover and the novel it protected fit well with the apocalyptic story that is told inside. Nonetheless one comes to understand that even in darkness there is a flicker of light that either shines a light that reveals a hidden path or it simply lights the cigarette of someone who is just standing on the sidewalk contemplating the darkness. Though subconsciously I had been exposed to his work during my reading of Bolano, it was only while reading James Joyce’s Ulysses that I became interested in knowing who was Gustave Moreau. The quasi introduction came about as I was engrossed in the midst of a conversation on art and literature that one of the characters in Ulysses was having with one of the main characters in the novel,

“Art has to reveal to us ideas, formless spiritual essences. The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring. The painting of Gustave Moreau is the painting of ideas. The deepest poetry of Shelly, the words of Hamlet bring our mind into contact with the eternal wisdom, Plato’s world of ideas. All the rest is the speculation of schoolboys for schoolboys.” (Ulysses p.185)

(Death on the Pale Hore, 1865) G. Dore

I wanted to learn more on this artist, but this was only one part of the puzzle because aside from his name I was aware of two other Gustave’s that also made masterpieces in their perspective fields of art and in their time, and these are Gustave Dore who is best known for his etchings and engravings of master works such as Don Quixote, Divine Comedy, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, and The Raven. I discovered Dore while reading 2666 where his work appears several times, becoming in a way an apocalyptic and quasi mystical message of the world that Bolano was depicting. It was then that I was able to appreciate many of Dore’s pieces of art, especially those depicting legions of angels and the fallen angels casted as demons.

(Mermaids/Whitefish, 1899) G. Klimt

Gustav Klimt who is best known for painting people that looked to be both floating in a dream world and going down the current of time had a certain appeal when I first saw his work, and as time has gone bye an appreciation for his genius has only increased. But both these artist will be touched upon on a later time. The fact that there are a number of accomplished artist with the name Gustav is enough to make anyone that likes connecting the dots spend months on end studying the lives of these artist. Nonetheless, their names do partially open the door to a better understanding of the late-19^th and early 20^th century art world.

                 

                Gustave Moreau’s art is very apocalyptic and what really stands out is that many of his paintings are watercolor, a medium that was not used much those days. It is one thing to paint landscapes with oils and mix white into different colors, but with watercolor one builds colors on top of the blank paper, and once that lightness is gone it is hard to recapture.

“It is in them that Moreau displayed his boldest technical freedom and the most remarkable facets of his personal style. <<Watercolor makes a man a colorist,>> said Delacroix. This is true of Moreau.” (Jean Selz p. 56)

(Persus and Andromeda, 1870) G. Moreau

His work is very compelling. The hues and combinations of colors are key to his art. In some areas he seems to have saturated the paper with multiple layers of color to the point that backgrounds turned purple or brown, all of which was contrasted by peach colors or faint limes and deep blue colors that make up his skies.

(Phoebus and Boreas, 1879) G. Moreau

“In the room that housed them (Moreau’s paintings) there was an auto-de-fe of vast skies all aflame; globes crushed by bloody suns, hemorrhages of stars flowing in purple cataracts on somersaulting clusters of clouds.”  - J.K. Huyusmans

His technique makes you think of light, and how when we look out towards the horizon is virtually impossible to assimilate to a painting, because though one may try, light and refraction plays a big part in the way we see light and color, and yet Gustave succeeds in this exercise with his paintings.

“Moreau undoubtedly saw in his painting much more than they were able to express. The dream he had of them was a vision more literary than pictorial. In his descriptions of his paintings he went so far as to mention elements which could not be represented graphically, such as fragrant smells and sounds. In this respect the careful notes which he wrote to explain his most important painting are very revealing.” (Jean Selz p. 36)

(The Apparition, 1876) G. Moreau

One need not worry about reading his notes on the paintings he created. Though it might reveal the artists worries and thoughts about what he wanted to accomplish on canvas. What he managed to paint is something that is very much along the lines as one of those songs that one just likes to listen to over and over. There is a connection in this case with his creation and the outside which still happens even today. Some might ask, well, what is so special about that, and I say that the same concerns that people back in his day had still have, and though the symbols used today are slightly different there is that concern of whether this life is a dream or not and lies beyond.

“Moreau did not remain enslaved to those traditions (Impressionist movement of the late 19^th century) so greatly respected  by the painters who, like him, were devoting themselves to interpreting scenes drawn from mythology or the Bible……… he sought to express personal thoughts and to develop ideological themes. The need to invest even the smallest detail of a picture with significant symbols that his most understanding admirers occasionally confessed that they could not decipher them.

                In order to grasp how the painter was able to fuse his intellectual vision with his particular type of pictorial expression, it is necessary to examine his work from the beginning of his career.” (Jean Selz p.6)