BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
Parisian Style in New York
Patrick Byrnes Paints Portraits of Intimacy
Style columnist Sibylle Eschapasse discusses her global inspiration.
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
A glimpse into the atelier art world.
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See C3 THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
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This is The Frick’s most comprehensive exhibition ever organized on the artist’s activity as a portraitist.
ANTHONY VAN DYCK 17th Century Superstar
“Self-Portrait,” circa 1620–1621, by Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
By Kati Vereshaka | Epoch Times Staff
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EW YORK—It often happens that an over-hyped blockbuster pre-empts that virgin pleasure of discovering the film for oneself without any preconceptions, bringing to the experience a certain degree of reserve and cynicism. But with the work of Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), however, no amount of prior praise can taint the experience of seeing his portraits firsthand. You can believe the hype.
The energy, arrogance, and impetuousness of youth—it’s all there.
The exhibition Van Dyck: The Anatomy of Portraiture, on view at New York’s Frick Collection, is the first time in 20 years that a major show of this nature is taking place in the United States. It brings together approximately 100 works (on canvas, wood panel, and paper) that reveal the fast-paced talent and genius of the artist whose rise to fame was meteoric. It is easy to see why van Dyck changed the course of portrait painting in Europe and beyond. Enter Frans Snyders and Margareta de Vos By the time he was 20 years old, van Dyck already had the admiration and trust of his peers, as is evidenced by his captivating painting of the very successful and sought-after painter of still life, animals, and hunt scenes: “Frans Snyders” (circa 1620)—one of the favorite painters of the King of Spain. It hangs next to van Dyck’s painting of Snyders’s wife, Margareta de Vos.
See Van Dyck on C7
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts S I BY L L E ’ S S T Y L E D I A RY
SIBYLLE ESCHAPASSE
ALL PHOTOS BY BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
The same way people say that art is in the eye of the beholder, style is in the mind of the individual.
on Being Parisian Influenced With the Flair of New York
Sibylle Eschapasse
By Catherine Yang | Epoch Times Staff This week’s style diary guest is our own Sibylle Eschapasse. Sibylle started this series of style interviews last summer, and we thought it would be lovely to hear what she has to say about style. Originally from Paris, she has made New York her home. She arrived in the city in 2002, after a 12-day journey by freighter across the Atlantic, as she wanted to feel what immigrants may have felt decades ago. Most recently, Sibylle has been working for the United Nations, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year. She has a passion for philanthropy and writing, and is very involved in the French and Francophone communities of New York. She is the author of a children’s book, “Argy Boy!: A New York Dog Tale.” Epoch Times: Describe your style? Sibylle Eschapasse: I would describe my style as being Parisian, influenced with the flair of New York. Paris and New York are very much part of who I am and I try to take the best of these two cities and carry it within me. I am very natural, wear minimal make up, and many times, none whatsoever. But I do take care of my skin and myself extensively, from head to toe. As for my clothing, I like it to make me feel beautiful, feminine, modern, and classic at the same time. Epoch Times: If a close friend were to describe your personality in three words, what would they be? Ms. Eschapasse: Adventurous, happy, and kind. And a fourth word for fun: romantic. I love feeling romantic. For us French people, it runs in our blood and DNA.
Style, like beauty, comes first and foremost from within. Sibylle Eschapasse
Fashion columnist Sibylle Eschapasse in New York on Jan. 24.
In French we say, “Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop.” You have to be yourself and feel at comfort in your own skin and in the clothes you are wearing.
Epoch Times: How did your style evolve since you were a teenager? Ms. Eschapasse: I was fortunate to grow up in a family that enjoyed traveling, which gave me a great appreciation for style in general and culture. Specifically, I lived in Casablanca, Morocco, for three of my teenage years from 15 to 18 years old, and from that experience, I was influenced by the local customs and was very much respectful of the cultural clothing code over there. When I returned to Paris to study at Sorbonne University, I picked up on the Parisian style again, and dressed as a young Parisian student wearing mostly jeans and casual wear. For my Master’s degree and first year as a Ph.D. student in geography, I moved to the islands of the South Pacific—in Wallis and Futuna and Tahiti, and over there, I totally embraced the Polynesian style of wearing flowery and colorful fabrics and flower pieces in my hair. It was fun and I really enjoyed that lifestyle. But my greatest fashion influence was when I arrived in New York. This is where I developed my style toward a more sophisticated, cosmopolitan, a more adult look and yet youthful at the same time. This is where I became the woman I am today.
Epoch Times: Who have been your greatest fashion influences? Ms. Eschapasse: My dad and one of my brothers, Thomas, who both enjoy clothing. My dad for teaching me to focus on what is beautiful in this world, and to try to avoid what is ugly or vulgar to the eyes without ever being judgmental or snobbish vis-à-vis others, and the importance to stay humble, as we are always vulgar ourselves to somebody else we don’t know. I thank him for having given me a certain sense of aes-
Epoch Times: Who is your style icon? Ms. Eschapasse: As for my style icons, I love Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jackie Onassis. But what I admire most are everyday women who have full time jobs, not necessarily the easiest lives, with juggling family and other responsibilities, and yet find it important and a prerogative to always look nice, making efforts to look polished by respect of themselves and others. Epoch Times: What does having style mean to you? In other words, please define style. Ms. Eschapasse: The same way people say that art is in the eye of the beholder, style is in the mind of the individual. Style comes from the inside out, it comes from within your soul and your outside appearance just follows. Style is so much more than wearing certain clothes. It is influenced by your origins whatever they are, where you come from, how you think, how you speak, the way you eat, your posture, how you take care of yourself, and how you live your life as a whole.
Epoch Times: How do you dress on workdays versus weekends? Ms. Eschapasse: I don’t really dress differently. On weekends, I may be slightly more casual. I also love yoga. Epoch Times: What are three accessories you can’t live without and what’s one item that makes you instantly more confident? Ms. Eschapasse: My sunglasses as I love wearing sunglasses; my iPhone to FaceTime my loved ones back home in Paris, and my contact lenses as I am blind as a bat. In French, we say “myope comme une taupe”; a “taupe,” which is a mole in English, does sound slightly cuter than a bat. And one item that makes me feel instantly more confident: Heels! I don’t like to wear flats.
thetic in architecture, in design, even appreciation for vintage cars (after all, I am the only girl raised with three brothers). My mother for her sobriety and teaching me that simplicity is indeed the ultimate sophistication and that less is more. My mother always dressed us very nicely as children, with great harmony of colors. I would also mention my grandmother I sadly lost recently for always looking nice and elegant, and my aunt on my father’s side for her eccentricity and natural beauty, and also a former colleague of mine who influenced me, as she had a very busy life and nevertheless dressed everyday very nicely and elegantly. I learned a lot from her.
You cannot fake a style that is not yours, Sibylle Eschapasse says, and experiences add more than accessories.
Epoch Times: What is one purchase you’re most proud of? What would you pay a lot of money for, and what would you never pay much money for? Ms. Eschapasse: I’m not particularly proud of anything that I purchased. It may sound like a cliché but I don’t like to accumulate things other than great moments and memories. I could never count money for things that would make my family and loved ones happy. I would pay a lot of money for unforgettable traveling, for instance. I love to travel and I love especially beautiful travels. I dream about places like the Galapagos Islands, going back to Tanzania and climbing the Kilimanjaro, visiting the Jane Goodall chimpanzee sanctuary, going on a worldwide three-month cruise on a Cunard ship, going to Antarctica and flying to the South Pole (yes, there is a small flight that goes there!), a drive on Route 66, a cruise on the Amazon, seeing orangutans in their natural habitat in Borneo, going on a trip on the Panamerican from Anchorage to Ushuaia—and the list goes on and on and on. Epoch Times: When you go on the red carpet, how do you want your outfit to make you feel? Which designers can achieve that? Ms. Eschapasse: I love outfits that make me feel beautiful and gracious. When you feel this way, it relaxes you; you are glowing and radiant. Style, like beauty, comes first and foremost from within. Audrey Hepburn was right saying that happy girls are the prettiest! As for the designers, there are so many, it is difficult to mention one or two. But I will mention the beautiful gowns of Oscar de la Renta and Diane Von Furstenberg
for short dresses as I am a DVF girl, especially for her amazingly flattering wrap dresses. If I could, I would have them all. Epoch Times: What do you think of how others dress and what’s your advice to people who would like to develop their personal style? Ms. Eschapasse: I don’t judge how people dress. Everybody has their own stories, sometimes their struggles and different priorities in life than their appearances, and we all come from different backgrounds so we have a different sense of style, which contributes in making this world so interesting and vibrant. I would simply encourage people to create for themselves a sense of style that is their own and will become their signature style. It will make them feel better and contribute to enhancing their lives as a whole. And also to have the desire and the discipline to try to be the best version of themselves.
Sibylle’s Favorites Favorite color: My favorite color is red but I also love yellow, especially in spring and summertime. Favorite perfume: I have many and I like to change perfumes. I love variety and enjoy discovering new fragrances and new scents. Right now, I am wearing Acqua di Parma Gelsomino Nobile by Acqua di Parma, Eau d’Orange Verte by Hermès and La Vie Est Belle by Lancôme. Favorite restaurant in NY: Daniel for the assurance to have an exquisite and memorable dinner, and the many Maison Kayser bakeries all around the city for the best bread you can find in New York. This is my hangout and I like to go there a lot for lunch. Favorite drink: Kombucha Cosmic Cranberry is my absolute favorite drink, as well as fresh coconut water. And for alcohol, I enjoy a nice glass of wine or Champagne. Favorite movie: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Favorite book: “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Favorite quote: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”—Mae West And it’s not a quote but I also love “Liberté, égalité, fraternité,” French for “Liberty, equality, fraternity,” which is the national motto of France. I think it sums up how we should all, in theory—individuals and societies—live up to. Sibylle’s “Style Diary” is a column that explores style from the perspective of choices, and what that means for different people, with personal advice from some of the most stylish people in New York.
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
PATRICK BYRNES PA I N T S P O RT R A I T S O F I N T I M AC Y
SEE HIS PAINTINGS at Eleventh Street Arts gallery, April 15–June 3.
Artist Patrick Byrnes in his studio space at the Grand Central Atelier, where he paints and teaches, on March 4.
A glimpse into the atelier art world By Milene Fernandez | Epoch Times Staff
Byrnes compares his work to artisanal food.
A Slight Detachment Byrnes was born in South Korea and adopted when he was 7 months old by his Irish- and Welsh-American parents. “Hence my super Irish name,” he said. He does not feel any affinity to Korean culture, other than craving Korean food. When he spent a summer in South Korea during his college studies, he said he found the culture shockingly different, but felt it was interesting how he could
I want the experience to be ennobling to the viewer in some way. Patrick Byrnes
COURTESY OF PATRICK BYRNES
“Fil,” charcoal on paper, 2015.
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
NEW YORK—Patrick Byrnes shares many quiet hours in that enigmatic realm of the artist painting the model. Hours, weeks, or months, it does not matter how long he paints them, as long as he continues to strive to express the beauty of each person’s particularity. Through that process he hopes to create works that will feel compelling and universal. That may seem paradoxical, yet Byrnes admits it’s a long endeavor to bring to light. “I’m being patient,” he said softly, creating a sense of intimacy in his studio space at Grand Central Atelier, which is partitioned by thin grey walls that don’t reach the ceiling. “It’s so fulfilling to be in front of the model, trying to get it right. … I think it is going to be a lifelong obsession,” he said. It took a little meandering for Byrnes, now 32 years old, to find his calling. After studying art history and English at Saint Andrews in Scotland, considering being a poet or journalist, and dabbling in theater with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, he took a continuing education figure drawing class with Diana Stezalski at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he worked in human resources. That class inspired him to want to draw and paint better. Stezalski encouraged him to study at her alma matter, The Florence Academy of Art. After a year in Florence he was drawn by the works of Jacob Collins and other artists in New York at the Grand Central Atelier, where artists also learn the classical methods of drawing, painting, and sculpture, but with a different approach. For the past two years since he finished his studies, he’s been an artist in residence at Grand Central, where he also teaches. “Something really spoke to me about the careful slow study of the human figure and carrying on this tradition,” he said. He offered espresso made with his small Nespresso machine, tucked behind a pencil drawing on his shelf. He reminisced about the slower lifestyle in Italy. He likes the idea of calling his art, small-batch work, comparing it with the slow food movement, which emphasizes quality, authenticity, and community.
physically blend in as part of the majority, and be anonymous as long as he did not speak. “There is a slight disconnect in the way I sometimes apprehended environments and visual information because of a constant feeling of otherness. I often contemplated what my life would have been like had I not been adopted or adopted by a different family in a different part of the world,” he said. Some of Byrnes’s portraits, hanging in his studio space, showed a beautiful sadness or nostalgic expression in the eyes. “That’s the kind of face I would rather look at. I don’t want to look at someone who is smiling,” he said chuckling. All of them radiated a gentle demeanor, like his soft-spoken voice. They are all set against a plain background. “For now, I don’t want the person I am painting to have to service a narrative. I just want them to be who they are in that moment,” he said. He uses an alla prima technique—a direct, onelayer, wet-on-wet painting method. It literally means first attempt in Italian. For now it has been a good way for him to figure things out and continue learning how to create certain effects. The people he chooses to paint already give a hint of the artistic vision he is forging. He’s at peace with knowing that he cannot paint who they really are, fundamentally, but he said, “My practice of trying to translate the truth of their physical likeness is a way for me to feel connected to other people, to feel vulnerable, and to have that experience of empathy and compassion.” He’s sure it has to do with how his own identity has been shaped so far and how it differs or relates to the person he’s painting. Looking at his large portrait of young woman in profile, wearing a white shirt, set in front of a white background, he said, “She is one of my favorite models. She has this really gentle quiet spirit.” Byrnes doesn’t necessarily choose conventionally beautiful people who are splayed throughout glossy fashion magazines or in mainstream media. The high-skill, attention, and care he puts into his work renders whomever he chooses to paint beautiful. “There’s something really compelling about a portrait done from life because it’s such an intimate experience. Without wanting to sound hyperbolic, I think of it as transformative,” he said rather bashfully. He pondered his understanding of beauty. “If you look at a nose and were asked to idealized it, what would you make that nose look like?” he asked. “When someone goes on the model stand, you become more vulnerable to the particularity of them, and it’s their particularity that is beautiful. It’s not about ‘Oh, that person has a very straight nose, or large eyes, or a smooth complexion,’ it’s about the exact tilt of their brow, or the way their nose flares out just so at the bottom, or the delicate character
of the upturn of the corners of their mouth. When you are working from life, moment by moment, you are learning the person’s beauty as you appreciate and translate all of those little details,” he said. Art With Capital Letters Mentioning William DeKooning and contemporary art that feels nihilistic, Byrnes said in contrast he is not interested in seeing the human body as a battleground. Instead he said, “I want the experience to be ennobling to the viewer in some way.” Byrnes pointed out that his paintings don’t need to go along with a 1,000-word statement for them to be understood, nevertheless he also appreciates nontraditional contemporary art. “I definitely don’t like to oppose contemporary art because I enjoy learning about it, and a healthy avant-garde is essential, but there also needs to be a perennial or academic form and that form doesn’t need to be boring, conservative, religious, or sentimental. It doesn’t necessarily need to be that, it can be exciting and feel vital. It lives in this moment, and it can be made really well,” he said. He recounted how he and Anthony Baus, another artist, played with the idea of installing big neon letters outside of Grand Central Atelier that would say, “ART.” They imagined that people going inside would then be completely surprised to actually see traditional art, instead of a conceptual installation. Byrnes admires the old masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, and Velázquez—the usual suspects he called them—and is keen on following a lineage of making portraits and figure paintings that are psychologically affecting, sensitive, and compassionate. “A painting can have this physical, sensuous presence that enhances the viewer’s experience because they can respond to both the image and its physicality. That is what I have been trying to do,” he said. “I think in my 50s and 60s, I’ll be making works where my technique and the content of my work are both at a very high level and feel meaningful and true,” he added. There’s a whole young generation of people who are making art that is traditional and skilled, calling for an equal skill in connoisseurship. Byrnes feels very fortunate to be able to sell his work though one of the few art dealers selling traditional art. He will also show two to three paintings in a group show at Eleventh Street Arts in Long Island City, opening on April 15. “This Is New York” is a feature series that delves into the lives of inspiring individuals in New York City. See all our TINYs here: epochtim.es/TINY or follow @milenefernandez on Twitter.
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts CHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP
Ben Affleck Says He’s Serious About Playing Batman By John Carucci NEW YORK—Ben Affleck hopes Batman fans who were skeptical of him playing the caped crusader in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” realize how seriously he took the role. “The most difficult thing about making this movie, honestly, was the physical aspect,” Affleck told The Associated Press on Sunday, March 20, on the red carpet for the film’s New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall. Affleck said he wanted to be in shape, so
Ben Affleck at Radio City Music Hall on March 20. he worked out hard. “Having to be in the gym every day, six in the morning ... I wasn’t used to that kind of workout regimen,” Affleck said. “Fans have come to expect that if you’re going to play a superhero, you got to look in the body like a superhero. I knew the camera was going to be looking at
me and the guillotine was there so I knew I had to be ready.” When Warner Bros. made the announcement nearly three years ago that Affleck would play Batman, some fans weren’t thrilled, and the backlash led to petitions asking the studio to remove him.
CD Review
Sondheim on Masterworks Broadway By Barry Bassis Stephen Sondheim is the most important theater lyricist-composer of his generation. In advance of his 86th birthday on March 22, Sony’s label Masterworks Broadway issued a 2-CD set, “Essential Sondheim.” During the course of his career, Sondheim has been awarded eight Tonys, eight Grammys, an Oscar, a Pulitzer Prize, five Oliviers, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This overview of his work shows why he is a national treasure. Sondheim’s mentor was master lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, and Sondheim began his career as a lyricist, although he majored in music and studied with classical composer Milton Babbitt.
This collection will bring joy to lovers of theater music, even if they sometimes prefer other renditions of the songs.
Sondheim’s first smash hit was “West Side Story.” He wrote the words for Leonard Bernstein’s music. The “Essential” set begins with Rita Moreno’s “America” from the movie soundtrack. Also from the film are Jim Bryant and Marni Nixon singing “Somewhere.” It’s nice that the singers get their names listed in the liner notes because they don’t appear in the movie’s credits. In addition to supplying the singing voice for Natalie Wood in “West Side Story,” Nixon also did the singing for Deborah Kerr in “The King and I” and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady.” From the original Broadway cast of “West Side Story,” Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert perform “Tonight.” Sondheim wanted to write the songs for “Gypsy,” but the producers insisted on Jule Styne to handle the music and Sondheim again wrote the lyrics. Ethel Merman’s “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” is included here, although I would have preferred Patti LuPone’s version from the last Broadway revival. Sondheim’s wit shines through in “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” from the original cast album. Sondheim got the chance to write the music as well as the words for the hit “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Jason Alexander’s recording of “Comedy Tonight” is taken from “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.” “Anyone Can Whistle” was a flop, although the title song by the ineffable Lee Remick is deservedly included. Harry Guardino’s “Everybody Says Don’t” is a bit rough. “Merrily We Roll Along” is another show that didn’t have much success, but Bernadette Peters’s lovely “Not a Day Goes By” makes me wish for a new production. After Oscar Hammerstein’s death, Sondheim provided the lyrics for Richard Rodgers’s music in “Do I Hear a Waltz?” It was an unhappy experience, purportedly because Rodgers’s talent was declining, and he was drinking. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Allen’s rendition of the title song is quite pleasant. “Company” is perhaps my favorite Sondheim score. “Another Hundred People” and “The Ladies Who Lunch” from the original cast album are unsurpassed, the latter by the great Elaine Stritch. Dean Jones’s “Being Alive” is OK, though Raúl Esparza’s in the revival was better. (I wish Nonesuch,
Eventually, it blew over, and the two-time Oscar winner feels proud to be part of the Batman legacy. “I’m really honored to be part of a tradition that Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan, great talents, worked on. Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Tim Burton, great talents. So I just wanted to do my best. I think we did something different, but something that is still very much Batman,” Affleck said. Co-star Jesse Eisenberg shared a similar experience when he was cast as Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. Eisenberg, famous for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network,” empathized with his critics. “I can assure them as critical as they are of me, I’m more critical. No one is more concerned or critical or worried about doing a good job than I am,” Eisenberg said. Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane in the film, praised both Eisenberg and Affleck. “I think the audience is going to have to decide for themselves. [I] got to see it, and I was blown away,” Adams said. “They both bring something we’ve never seen before in these characters, but something that really pays homage to the canon, so I think they are going to be really happy.” “I think people are going to like it,” Affleck said. “All you can do is do your best.” From The Associated Press
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which has recorded some of the noteworthy Sondheim show revivals, would release its own collection.) Some of the best numbers in the “Essential” set come from a concert with the New York Philharmonic: three from “Follies”—Elaine Stritch’s “Broadway Baby,” Carol Burnett’s “I’m Still Here,” and Barbara Cook’s wonderful “Losing My Mind.” From “A Little Night Music,” the set has Glynis Johns’s “Send in the Clowns.” There are two numbers from the original cast album of “Sweeney Todd.” Len Cariou is the Demon Barber and Angela Lansbury plays Mrs. Lovett. Mandy Patinkin is now best known for “Homeland,” but the excerpts from “Sunday in the Park with George” with co-star Bernadette Peters are a reminder that he was a Broadway musical star first. Peters returned in another Sondheim hit, “Into the Woods,” here represented by her lovely “Children Will Listen.” “Agony” from the same cast album is not as essential. “Pacific Overtures,” “Passion,” and “Assassins” further represent Sondheim’s ambitious move into other areas and his increasingly darker vision. “Sooner or Later” is from the movie “Dick Tracy” but is done here by Karen Ziemba, not Madonna (who appeared in the film.) “Loving You” from “Passion” is performed by Peabo Bryson and Nancy Wilson, accompanied by a top-grade jazz trio. In sum, this collection will bring joy to lovers of theater music, even if they sometimes prefer other renditions of the songs.
Barry Bassis has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications.
He’ll Be Back, Again: A 6th Terminator Movie Is Coming By Jonathan Zhou | Epoch Times Staff A sequel to 2015’s “Terminator Genisys,” the fifth film in the series, is in the works. In an interview with Australia’s Channel 9, Arnold Schwarzenegger said “I am looking forward to it, absolutely,” when asked about a potential Terminator 6 movie. A sequel to Genisys, known as “Terminator 2,” had been slated for release in 2017, and the film was supposed to be the first of a new trilogy, but Paramount Pictures pulled the film from its schedule in January, according to Deadline. Genisys, which starred Schwarzenegger and “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke, had performed poorly in the domestic box
CLIVE MASON/GETTY IMAGES
The Terminator robot in Barcelona, Spain.
office, netting than $90 million against a budget of $155 million, and some assumed that the sequel had been cancelled, but the movie did well in foreign markets, and grossed more than $440 million worldwide. The iconic science fiction franchise featuring time travel and android assassins began in 1984 with “Terminator,” starring Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.
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10
Greatest Poems Ever Written PA R T 4 O F 10
7. ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ By John Keats (1795–1821) Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring’d legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both, In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
By Evan Mantyk n this series we look at the ten greatest poems originally written in the English language, one by one. It is presented from least greatest (No. 10) to greatest greatest (No. 1), and each poem is followed by a brief analysis. PD-ART
John Keats. Analysis of the Poem As if in response to Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn” offers a sort of antidote to the inescapable and destructive force of time. Indeed, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” was published in 1819, just a year or so after “Ozymandias.” The antidote is simple: art. The art on the Grecian urn—which is basically a decorative pot from ancient Greece—has survived for thousands of years. While empires rose and fell, the Grecian urn survived. Musicians, trees, lovers, heifers, and priests all continue dying decade after decade and century after century, but their artistic depictions on the Grecian urn live on for what seems eternity.
This realization about the timeless nature of art is not new now, nor was it in the 1800s, but Keats has chosen a perfect example since ancient Greek civilization so famously disappeared into the ages, being subsumed by the Romans and mostly lost until the Renaissance a thousand years later. Now, the ancient Greeks are all certainly dead (like the king Ozymandias in Shelley’s poem), but the Greek art and culture lives on through Renaissance painters, the Olympic Games, endemic Neoclassical architecture, and, of course, the Grecian urn. Further, what is depicted on the Grecian urn is a variety of life that makes the otherwise cold urn feel alive and vibrant. This aliveness is accentuated by Keats’s barrage of questions and blaring exclamations: “More happy love! more happy, happy love!” Art, he seems to suggest, is more alive and real than we might imagine. Indeed, the last two lines can be read as the urn itself talking: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” In these profound lines, Keats places us within ignorance, suggesting that what we know on earth is limited, but that artistic beauty, which he has now established is alive, is connected with truth. Truth is, in many cases, connected with the divine. Thus, we can escape ignorance, humanness, and certain death and approach another form of life, approach the truth, and approach the divine through the beauty of art. This effectively completes the thought that began in “Ozymandias” and makes this a great poem one notch up from its predecessor. John Keats is an English poet of the Romantic period. From relatively humble origins as the son of a horse stable owner to a job as an apprentice surgeon, Keats rose to become a poet of moderate significance in his time, but he died at just 26 from tuberculosis. Posthumously, his poetry, known for its imagery and passion, has been greatly celebrated. Full list of poems: ept.ms/GreatestPoems
To contact the Society of Classical Poets, write to Submissions@ClassicalPoets.org Evan Mantyk is president of the Society of Classical Poets and a high school English teacher in upstate New York.
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d, Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone: Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare; Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss, Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair! Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu; And, happy melodist, unwearied, For ever piping songs for ever new; More happy love! more happy, happy love! For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d, For ever panting, and for ever young; All breathing human passion far above, That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d, A burning forehead, and a parching tongue. Who are these coming to the sacrifice? To what green altar, O mysterious priest, Lead’st thou that heifer lowing at the skies, And all her silken flanks with garlands drest? What little town by river or sea shore, Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel, Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn? And, little town, thy streets for evermore Will silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e’er return. O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede Of marble men and maidens overwrought, With forest branches and the trodden weed; Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
PD-US
Essence of China
In the Zhou Dynasty about 3,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered that using the ashes of certain plants could be used to remove grease.
Dynasty, saponin was made into ingots for sale. Shops in Beijing specializing in fruit-shaped fragrant ingots were shut down under the communist regime in the 1950s. Another primitive form of laundry soap appeared in eastern China during the Song Dynasty (1127–1279), when people kneaded honey locust powder into orange-sized balls. These balls produced bubbles and were effective in removing dirt and stains. The Chinese word for these balls, “feizao,” is still used in modern times to mean soap. People in ancient China, like any other region, did not have large amounts of hot water to use for bathing themselves. In the Qin empire (221–206 B.C.), people reused water from washing rice to wash their faces and hair. Sima Qian, a renowned historian in the Han Dynasty, wrote about how one empress’s family was so poor that her younger brother had to be sold off when they were young. Before he left, she had begged for leftover water from
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Chinese cultures have held cleanliness in high regard since ancient times, and some of the methods they devised to wash their garments and bodies in a world before running water or fossil fuels are more sophisticated than one might expect. Over the centuries, ever-improving forms of plant-based solutions were used in the absence of modern soap to keep clothes clean and white. In the Zhou Dynasty about 3,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered that using the ashes of certain plants could be used to remove grease. This method is recorded in “The Rites of Zhou,” a sacred document detailing the religious ceremonies of this early Chinese dynasty. “The Record of Trades,” a document from the Warring States Period toward the end of the Zhou Dynasty (c. 700–221 B.C.), records how the Zhou cleaning methods were improved upon. Plant ash was mixed with crushed seashells, producing an alkaline chemical that could remove the stains of light-colored silk fabrics. Later, the Chinese discovered a naturally occurring form of saponin that could be extracted from the ashes of knotweed and wormwood. This method became widespread beginning in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220). About a thousand years later, in the Jin
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“Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk” (selection) by Tang Dynasty artist Zhang Xuan.
rice-washing to clean her Bathing beans brother’s hair. as recreated The Chinese could and would by a Chinese do better than that. A kind of Internet user. body wash called “bathing beans” was in use by the time of the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589). Oddly, these “beans” were made from the processed pancreas of pigs, as recorded in a medical book authored by the famous Sui and Tang Dynasty-era Chinese doctor Sun Simiao (pronounced “swun ss-meow”). Sun’s account describes how the pancreata are drained of blood, then rubbed into a plaster. The plaster is then mixed with bean powder and fragrant substances. When in use, the solution would secrete digestive enzymes and create a foaming effect together with the saponins and lecithin in the beans. The product could not only cleanse the skin but also nourish it. Later, different versions of the bathing bean were developed for use in washing the body, face, or garments. Sun Simiao recommended the product as affordable for people of both high and low economic means. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, bathing beans were upgraded with granulated sugar and melted pig fat. The bean powder itself was replaced with sodium carbonate, that is, washing soda. The final forms of ancient Chinese cleansing solutions came to closely resemble soap made by industrialized means.
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts
THINGS TO DO COMMUNITY EVENTS NEW IN MANHATTAN The Music of David Bowie March 31 at 8 p.m. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall Michael Dorf and City Winery present their 12th annual tribute at Carnegie Hall featuring 20 artists such as Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Stipe, Pixies, Jakob Dylan, The Roots, and more. The concert is a benefit for a variety of music education programs serving underprivileged youth. Limited, call 212-247-7800. CarnegieHall.org Reimagining Fiddler on the Roof March 28 at 6:30 p.m. Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. In 1964, "Fiddler on the Roof" made theater history. Now, more than 40 years after its original opening, a revival of the production is back on Broadway. Join us for a conversation with eminent theater scholars as well as representatives from the current show on the challenge of refreshing a musical set in Imperial Russia more than a century ago, and their decision to draw on a melding of ethnic and contemporary dance to modernize the production. $15–$25. MCNY.org 15th Annual New York Turkish Film Festival March 31–April 1 SVA Theatre, 333 W. 23rd St. Screening more than 300 films and reaching audiences of over 25,000, the New York Turkish Film Festival brings the best of Turkey's film industry
to New York. From $12. NewYorkTurkishFilmFestival.com
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN The Somewhere Project Exhibit Through April 23 Hudson Guild, 441 W. 26th St. This exhibit showcases artwork and poetry inspired by and responding to the utopian vision of a city that’s a better place, as described in the classic lyrics of “Somewhere.” Works by participants of all ages from community centers that are part of United Neighborhood Houses—an umbrella organization of 38 New York City social service agencies— will be included. HudsonGuild.org Shakespeare’s Star Turn in America Through May 27 New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza The exhibition focuses on Shakespeare in North America from the Colonial times to the present. The multimedia exhibition uses artifacts from the Library for the Performing Arts’ unique collection to document the on-going popularity of the Shakespeare plays. Free. NYPL.org
VISUAL ARTS ENDING IN MANHATTAN Viewing The Past Thru Modern Eyes Through March 31 Kang Collection Korean Art, 9 E. 82nd St.
AP PHOTO/IAN HODGSON,POOL
Exhibited together, works by Contemporary artists Ran Hwang, Ik-Joong Kang, Minjung Kim, and Wonsook Kim explore the iconography, philosophical, and spiritual experiences emanating from Korea’s rich cultural visual traditions while utilizing both traditional and modern art making mediums. KangCollection.com Revealed Terrain: The Semantics of Landscape Through April 2 The Center for Book Arts, 28 W. 27th St. The landscape of book arts and design is ever expanding: technology and formation; language and voice; and audience and arena. Free. CenterForBookArts.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Taisho Era Screens and Contemporary Lacquers Through April 15 Erik Thomsen Gallery, 23 E. 67th St. A pair of circa 1700 six-panel screens, Stations along the Tokaido Road. An early example of the subject, the screens show a series of sites along the road between Kyoto, long the Imperial capital of Japan, and Edo, present day Tokyo. ErikThomsen.com Northern Dynasties, Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture Through April 23 Throckmorton Fine Art, 145 E. 57th St., Third Floor An exhibit of 30early Chinese Buddhist sculptures with a focus on works from China’s Northern Dynasties, including Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, and Northern Qi, dating from 386 to 577 CE. ThrockMorton-NYC.com
Singer-songwriters Debbie Harry and David Bowie backstage in Manchester, England, on Nov. 17, 2003.
The Music of David Bowie March 31 at 8 p.m. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
PERFORMING ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN Simon Boccanegra April 1–16 30 Lincoln Center Plaza The legendary pair of James Levine and Plácido Domingo have defined Verdi’s art for more than four decades. They demonstrate their mastery with this remarkable character study of the wise Doge forced to confront his past. The spectacular cast includes tenor Joseph Calleja and another legend, bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, as Boccanegra’s rival, Fiesco. From $27. MetOpera.org
ENDING IN MANHATTAN Le Nozze di Figaro Through March 26 Metropolitan Opera Richard Eyre’s stylish 2014 production, set in 1930s Seville, returns with both new and familiar stars. From $25. MetOpera.org
NEW ELSEWHERE Richard II March 24–April 29 BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St. Richard II: ruler by divine right, undone through bumbling mortal wrongs. Director Gregory Doran leads the Royal Shakespeare Company in this masterful take on Shakespeare’s incisive study of squandered sovereignty, the first chapter in the epic cycle King and Country. $30–$125. BAM.org
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Henry IV Part I March 26–April 30 BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St. War is imminent. Guilt weighs heavily on the newly crowned King Henry (Jasper Britton) after offing his rival King Richard. And Prince Hal (Alex Hassell) is carousing with ne’er-dowells at the tavern. So begins “Henry IV Part I,” continuing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s sweeping cycle King and Country, directed by Gregory Doran. $30–$125. BAM.org Henry IV Part II March 28–April 30 BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St.Henry IV’s army has suppressed the rebel uprising. But the king has fallen ill, Prince Hal (Alex Hassell) has fallen in again with the corrupting influences of Falstaff
(Antony Sher), and a second uprising looms as “Henry IV Part II begins,” continuing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s sweeping cycle King and Country, directed by Gregory Doran. $30–$125. BAM.org Henry V March 31–May 1 BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St. Reckless youth morphs into kingly ambition as the oncewayward Prince Hal takes full command of the crown. In the Royal Shakespeare Company’s culminating chapter of King and Country, Alex Hassell (The Caretaker, 2012 Winter/Spring) reprises his role from “Henry IV,” bringing infinite nuance and humanity to the mettleproving sovereign: wrenching self-scrutiny on the eve of battle, tongue-tied ineptitude in the face of love, lingering guilt in the wake of fatherly sin. $30–$125. BAM.org
MUSIC NEW IN MANHATTAN Shiran Wang on Piano March 25 at 7:30 p.m. Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall Internationally award-winning pianist Shiran Wang has performed with orchestras and performers such as cellist Mischa Maisky. Her album of Shostakovich Piano Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, with conductor Maxim Shostakovich, was released by Sony; and her album of Bach Piano Concertos was released by Deutsche Grammophon. $30. CarnegieHall.org Imbroglio Sextet March 25 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall The Imbroglio Sextet is a group of musicians from Haiti, Spain, Bolivia, and the United States. They began this musical project based on the foundations of peace in a country where creativity is a necessity. $24–$45. CarnegieHall.org New England Symphonic Ensemble March 27 at 2 p.m. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall On Easter Sunday, MidAmerica Productions presents Greg Zielke conducting the New England Symphonic Ensemble and choruses from Nebraska and South Dakota in Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass. $40–$110. CarnegieHall.org IGM 2016 Gala Concert March 28 at 7:30 p.m. Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
Irreverence Group Music celebrates the worldwide release of a new album by alternative classical music singer Radmila Lolly. The concert premieres works by New York-based composer Julián de la Chica: “String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7,” performed by the Scorchio String Quartet; and IV Short Stories at the Standard Hotel, Op. 6, performed by Ms. Lolly. $20–$40. CarnegieHall.org Masterworks Festival Chorus: National Festival Chorus March 28 at 8 p.m. Carnegie Hall Manhattan Concert Productions presents Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Five Mystical Songs” and Z. Randall Stroope’s arrangement of “American Rhapsody,” both conducted by Stroope. The concert also features an array of choral works performed by the National Festival Chorus under the direction of guest conductors Sandra and Timothy Peter. $20–$110. CarnegieHall.org Julius String Quartet March 28 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall The Julius String Quartet, in residence with the Shanghai Quartet at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, performs throughout the New England area and engages in outreach opportunities and community events. $45. CarnegieHall.org The Broadway Musicals of the 1950s March 28 at 8 p.m. 123 W. 43rd St. The 1950s were jam-packed with some of the most famous musicals of all time, including My Fair Lady, The Music Man, West Side Story, and Gypsy, to name just a few. Broadway by the Year creator/writer/director/ host Scott Siegel will use each of our four concerts to explore the ever-popular music that was born on Broadway in four different decades. $50–$60. TheTownHall.org Singing the Beauty of East and West March 29 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Award winning soprano Ayano Nonomura sings traditional Japanese songs and opera arias. $25. CarnegieHall.org
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts MICHAEL BODYCOMB
COURTESY OF THE FRICK COLLECTION
KATI VERESHAKA/EPOCH TIMES
KATI VERESHAKA/EPOCH TIMES
COURTESY OF THE FRICK COLLECTION
17th Century Superstar Van Dyck continued from C1
Fortunately, both works were acquired by Henry Clay Frick, who had a penchant for collecting works that are somehow related to each other. The fact that this famous painter would entrust a 20-year-old with a commission for his own portrait speaks volumes about how early on van Dyck’s talent was recognized. You can admire van Dyck’s depiction of the sitters’ sumptuous black attire trimmed with lace, the delicate, scintillating gold embroidery of de Vos’s dress, even the rather quirky, The Frick’s elongated fingers—but it’s their eyes that will biggest get you. It’s a sort of “kapow!” moment. What spotlight on comic book artists achieved through onomata painter as opoeia, van Dyck achieved through mastery of a portraitist portraiture—sheer talent. includes works Forget the New York minute and take an hour lent by the Palazzo Pitti in to stare into these people’s eyes—van Dyck’s Florence and the people’s eyes, that is. They embody the power Kunsthistorisches of all great art. They make the case for realism, humanism, spirituality, and everything Museum in in between. Vienna. Van Dyck shows us life, and by default death— the great barometer against which to measure our accomplishments—the ultimate punctuation. Snyders is dead. Van Dyck, dead, too, at the early age of 42, are the shocking thoughts that stand in stark contrast to the way they stare right back at you so confidently. The earliest of van Dyck’s works in the exhibition is a self-portrait that he painted when he was between 13 and 15 years old. The energy, arrogance, and impetuousness of youth—it’s all there. A skilled painting is one way of describing it, were it not for the fact that it reads like a veritable manifesto to the art world of the time. In Rubens’s Studio After enrolling as an apprentice to the painter Hendrick van Balen in 1610, it is believed that Van Dyck then entered the studio of celebrated Antwerp artist Peter Paul Rubens in 1613 (around the age of 14). He soon became Rubens’s star pupil, and by his late teens, Van Dyck was already assisting Rubens on largescale commissions. “As a teenager, he is capable of emulating Rubens to the point that we have great dif-
What comic book artists achieved through onomatopoeia, van Dyck achieved through mastery of portraiture— sheer talent.
KATI VERESHAKA/EPOCH TIMES
Van Dyck’s selfportrait at around age 15 is one of his earliest known works.
(Top left) “Prince William of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal,” 1641. Oil on canvas. (Top middle) “Lady Anne Carey, Later Viscountess Claneboye and Countess of Clanbrassil,” circa 1636. Oil on canvas. (Top right) “Frans Snyders,” circa 1620. Oil on canvas. (Middle left) Selection. (See below) KATI VERESHAKA/EPOCH TIMES
ANTHONY VAN DYCK
KATI VERESHAKA/EPOCH TIMES
ficulty telling the paintings done by the two of them apart,” said Adam Eaker, assistant curator of Northern Baroque Paintings in the Department of European Paintings and coorganizer of the exhibition. Modus Operandi Downstairs, we get a glimpse of van Dyck’s work in a more intimate manner. His large portraiture work is arresting, but it is the studies, the lines of chalk on paper, that allow you to witness his process and talent face to face. The fact that very few detailed studies of heads on paper survive puzzled Stijn Alsteens, the Frick exhibition’s driving-force (now curator at the department of drawings and prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art). When he started working on the project, he expected more, “since van Dyck is considered one of the greatest portraitist in the history of art,” he said. About 300 drawings by Anthony van Dyck survive, and little over a third of these are studies related to portraits, Alsteens explained during his recent lecture, “Drawing for Portraits,” which accompanies the exhibition. Van Dyck preferred to do the preparatory drawings straight onto the canvas, he explained. For larger works, like the preparation for a tableau of the English royal family, van Dyck summarily laid down a small study on canvas of “The Princesses Elizabeth and Anne, Daughters of Charles I,” (1637) which is also part of the exhibition. About 60 drawings are shown in the lower galleries where the curators have also brought together the largest group of preparatory works that’s ever been seen in one place for van Dyck’s Iconography series. They hold a world of joy, because it is where one can most intimately admire van Dyck’s hand. Iconography is a group of portrait prints, of eminent men and women of van Dyck’s day, including crown heads, statesmen, generals, artists, and scholars. Among the works on show we get to see a black chalk drawing, as well as a first state etching, of artist “Pieter Brueghel the Younger” (circa 1627–1635). His first teacher is also carefully and vividly depicted in black chalk in “Hendrick van Balen” (1627–1632).
(Middle center) “Charles I and Henrietta Maria Holding a Laurel Wreath,” 1632. Oil on canvas. (Middle right) “Frans Snyders,” circa 1627–1635. Etching (first state). (Bottom center) “The Princesses Elizabeth and Anne, Daughters of Charles I,” 1637. Oil on canvas.
And the drawing of fellow artist Sebastiaan Vrancx (1628–1631) shows just how much information is possible to pack into a few lines and well calculated pitch-black accents, to convey the full force of the sitter’s personality. The etchings from the Iconography series seemed to have circulated like baseball cards, explains Eaker, where you could buy the people you were interested in, who shared your own affiliations, and assemble them into your own bound album. There is a small surviving album in a cabinet on display, containing the prints related to this series. It seems that the artist would first make a very refined, detailed black chalk drawing in front of the sitter from life. Then he would translate that into a grisaille—a grayscale oil sketch on panel—to assist the engravers. There are four of these enthralling sequences (that include chalk drawing and grisaille) on show. The etchings included also demonstrate why van Dyck is considered to be among the greatest printmakers of all time as well. He didn’t leave the print process to some unknown engraver, but worked closely with his carefully selected collaborators, astutely anticipating how light and shade in his drawings and paintings would be translated by the engraver. Travels Van Dyck’s career took him from his native Flanders to Italy, France, and, ultimately, the court of Charles I in England. It has been estimated that van Dyck painted 40 portraits of King Charles I, as well as about 30 of his queen Henrietta Maria, during his second stay in England where he not only enjoyed the ongoing patronage of the king but was knighted. Unfortunately, it is also the place where he died of what seems like exhaustion. Be it through his chalk marks on paper, or the sums of his brushstrokes—carefully placed pigments that conjure light and shade, van Dyck’s body of works begs the question: What piece of one’s own soul will be left behind for posterity? Van Dyck makes us humble in the face of our human condition but he also elevates our spirit—the hallmark of great art. And if an artist can reach across the centuries and make one recalibrate one’s contemporary priorities, that’s a tall order fulfilled.
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March 25–31, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts ALL PHOTOS BY JOAN MARCUS
(L–R) Pascale Armand, Lupita Nyong’o, and Saycon Sengbloh in a scene from Danai Gurira’s “Eclipsed,” a play that shows the sad choices left to those surviving Liberia’s civil wars.
Theater Review
Putting Faces on the
Collateral Damage of War By Judd Hollander
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EW YORK—There are no real winners in war, only survivors. Playwright Danai Gurira makes this point crystal clear in her initially quiet, yet ultimately riveting play “Eclipsed,” now at Broadway’s Golden Theatre. Liberia, 2003: A country on the African coast has been torn apart by two bloody civil wars stretching back more than a decade. Two women are virtual prisoners in a rebel compound: the elder, Helena (Saycon Sengbloh), designated as “Wife #1,” and a rather pregnant Bessie (Pascale Armand), “Wife #3.” Both were captured during attacks on their respective villages. The two are the unofficial “wives” of the camp commander. They cook, clean, and do other menial chores, but also provide sexual services to the commander, and thus are under his protection from others in the camp. At least as long as they obey his rules. Helena and Bessie are hiding a young woman, known simply as “The Girl” (Lupita Nyong’o), who just appeared one day, lost and hungry. However, she is soon discovered, and the commander claims her as “Wife #4.” The wives’ numbers are a way of designating their seniority. Helena is the de facto ruler of the house. Her position allows her to assign chores to each of the women, as well as have first pick of whatever goods the rebels bring from their raids: clothes, combs, makeup, and so on. Helena’s current pastime is reading aloud from a book about the scandal involving U.S. President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. The women’s perceptions about that incident and how they translate it into their own culture show a universal parallel to the trappings of power. With escape virtually impossible (there is nowhere to go even if one could get out of the compound), there is only way to change their situation. Other than by dying, they may pick up a gun and go fight with the rebels. This choice is the path “Wife #2” Maima (Zainab Jah) chose, and which The Girl is seriously considering in order to escape her new existence as the commander’s favorite. Despite The Girl’s loudly stated proclamations that she would not kill indiscriminately and never harm innocents, she soon finds herself doing just that. After a village firefight, Maima orders her to round up all the young girls to take back as “companions” for the various rebel officers. Thus The Girl ends up helping perpet-
The characters each serve as a symbol, standing in for untold millions who have been affected by war over the centuries.
Akosua Busia as Rita and Lupita Nyong’o as The Girl in “Eclipsed.”
‘Eclipsed’ John Golden Theatre 252 W. 45th St. Tickets 212-239-6200, or Telecharge.com Running Time 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission) Closes June 19
(L–R) Akosua Busia, Lupita Nyong’o, Saycon Sengbloh, and Pascale Armand in “Eclipsed.” uate a cycle she is trying to break for herself. “Eclipsed” shows the effect of war on the innocents caught in its crossfire. The original reasons for the wars have been eclipsed by the need for both sides to maintain their particular status quo. The government uses force to keep itself in power; the rebels train their recruits to become virtual automatons so they don’t question their orders—all under the guise of patriotism. The ends, in the superiors’ minds, clearly justify the means. This point is powerfully brought home when The Girl is made to regurgitate the rebel mantra she has been forced to learn. Both The Girl and Maima at points recite the mantra with almost no inflection in their speech and seemingly without any understanding of the words’ actual meaning. Gurira puts a human face on these different women. The characters each serve as a symbol, standing in for untold millions who have been affected by war over the centuries. Nyong’o’s performance as The Girl is particularly striking as her character goes from an innocent to a captive to a soldier, losing bits of her humanity each step of the way. Jah’s portrayal of Maima presents a sort of endgame to the process of The Girl’s transformation. She shows the person The Girl could eventually become. Sengbloh gives a quiet dignity to Helena, who has been a captive for so long she can’t imag-
ine any other way of life. She expects some ultimate recognition for her status, despite the reality of her being just another replaceable tool. Armand gives a girlish appeal to Bessie with a young woman’s obsession toward her hair. Her pregnancy indicates that the next generation will be born into both slavery and poverty unless something is done. Rounding out the cast is Rita (Akosua Busia), “part of a large network of women peacemakers.” She takes on this role after feeling the sting of war firsthand, having previously been a businesswoman and a would-be war profiteer. Her current position, despite its altruistic goals, is her way to atone for past sins. “Eclipsed” is more than an indictment against violence and the collateral damage that inevitably springs up in its wake. The play clearly shows that for a lasting peace to come, it must offer more than simply the laying down of arms. Rather, society itself must change. Because for many, weapons of force are status symbols and aphrodisiacs. These give both power and respect to those who had never had either before, and walking away from them is not easy to do. Judd Hollander is a member of the Drama Desk and reviewer for StageBuzz.com