Sic itur Ad astra Sic itur Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning “thus you shall go to the stars”. Thus one goes to the stars : such is the way to immortality ”The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra (“thus you shall go to the stars”, from Aeneid book IX, line 641, spoken by Apollo to Aeneas’s young son Iulus) and opta ardua pennis astra sequi, (“desire to pursue the high (or hard to reach) stars on wings” book XII, lines 892–893, spoken by Aeneas to his foe Turnus in their combat). Another origin is Seneca the Younger, who wrote non est ad astra mollis e terris via (“there is no easy way from the earth to the stars”, Hercules Furens, line 437, spoken by Megara, Hercules’ wife).” Painting: Akseli Gallen-Kallela - Ad astra. Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s painting entitled Ad astra from 1894 has attracted attention in the Traces du sacré exhibition which is on display in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The exhibition deals with the significance of spirituality at the turn of the 19th century. Through a large selection of paintings, sculptures, installations and videos, the Traces du Sacré show brings together some 350 major works from the 19th century romantics to contemporary art, by close to 200 internationally renowned artists. In addition to Gallen-Kallela, the large number of artists also includes such famous names as Caspar David Friedrich, Odilon Redon, Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma af Klint, Theo van Duisburg, Lucio Fontana, Bruce Nauman, Bil Viola, Pierre Huyghe, Maurizio Cattelan, and Damien Hirst. Gallen-Kallela’s Ad astra (”To The Stars”) represents the symbolism of the end of the 19th century. This work was strongly influenced by the artist’s stay in Paris. When Traces du Sacré had opened, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro published a picture of Gallen-Kallela’s Ad astra. According to Valérie Duponchelle, the writer of Le Figaro’s review, this symbolic painting resembling an altarpiece is part of an important contemporary discussion, with ”pagan or Christian allusions, that discussion can be found in the painting”. A young naked woman with tears in her eyes is coming out of the gravitational pull of the earth, reminding the audience of Christ. Duponchelle is especially interested in the golden halo surrounding the woman’s head, with her red hair floating towards the sky, and in the way her arms are stretched out, forming a cross. The writer has also learnt of another version of the painting that Gallen-Kallela made in 1907. In this variant, which is not displayed in the exhibition, the woman has stigmata in her hands. Many writers, including Catherine Golliau from the French weekly news magazine Le Point, remind their readers of the allusions made by the curators of the exhibition to the German author and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s thoughts about the death of God. The Norwegian symbolist painter Edvard Munch also explored the same theme. Golliau also mentions the Finnish art historian Sixten Ringbom, who demonstrated that esoteric traditions have influenced Kandinsky’s art. Since the 18th century, in the Western world, the relationship between art and religion has changed considerably. The Reformation, the growth of capitalism, the ideas of the Enlightenment, the cult of reason, and the expansion of cities all led to what the German political economist and sociologist Max Weber described as the disenchantment of the world. Traces du Sacré has also caused a stir in the French media as well as aroused the general public’s interest. ”Here we have an exhibition which makes you dream. Which annoys a bit. Or shocks. But under no circumstances does it leave you passive”, writes the weekly French news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur. Note: The earlier version of the painting from 1894 is in private ownership, but the 1907 rendition is owned by the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation and is generally on display at the Villa Gyllenberg Museum in Helsinkis Kuusisaari. Opening hours: Wednesday 16-20, Sunday 12-16. Please note the museum is closed during the month of July
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:49:25 +0000
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