The Rice Thresher, Vol. 91, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 10, 2003 Page: 11 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER ARTS ft ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY, OCTOBER
10, 2003
11
Russian religious images depict
powerful historical narratives
RUSSIAN, from Page 9
dense, a style heavy with sym-
bolism and which can be hyp-
notic sometimes.
Tabletki differs from tradi-
tional icons painted on wood:
They consist of panels of fabric
stiffened by gesso and glued to
the back of the piece or to a thin
metal leaf and are generally in-
timate in scale. The Russian icon
is a complex art form with more
than one purpose: It strives for
beauty and impact, the clear tell-
ing of a story coupled with a
transformative religious power.
Its purpose is not to be wor-
shipped, but to inspire reverence,
veneration and solemnity — like
the architecture of a church it-
self, the icon was intended to
help the soul pass from the
earthly to the spiritual realm. A
kind of mystic contemp-
lation — not realism — is the
aim of the artists. Gestures and
symbols serve as clues to lead the
soul on its way; symmetry and
strictness of form keep the mind
from wandering.
The images on display at the
Menil give an impression of in-
tensity and serenity — you can
almost smell incense or hear
chanting. They share gold back-
grounds, elaborate stylized
drapery, clustered groupsofpeople
and faces, a sense of abstract
patterning in the lines and a care-
ful attention to detail. Solemn-faced
saints with embellished robes and
Byzantine halos, prophets with
flowing beards and staling eyes,
the sorrowful Christ and the gentle
Mary all make an appearance. Nar-
ratives, such as a dynamic depiction of
St George slaying a dragon, alternate
with portraits of solitary saints gazing
out of their frames.
Certain scenes, such as an annun-
ciation image dating from the mid-
16th century, have the distance and
decorum of a dance — the figures of
the Virgin and the angel do not make
eye contact with each other, but seem
involved in a kind of elaborate cer-
emony of their own. This airy grace is
typical of many icons.
The very
mountains seem
to bend and shiver
in ecstasy, while a
kind of swirling,
blue-black vortex
opens behind the
rising Christ.
Though they share stylistic and
thematic similarities, the differences
in the images, are startling upon
closer inspection. In the tiny
40 Martyrs of Sebaste, half-naked,
close-grouped bodies merge into one
another in a mass of twisting lines
and gestures of suffering. Their
hunched, deformed figures have a
shocking power.
A particularly compelling Resur-
rection scene from 15th-16th cen-
tury Novgorod has the frenetic life
of a cartoon — Christ stands on his
earth-bound, sinking cross in a ges-
ture of triumph, ascending in bil-
lowing robes to the sky, but inclin-
ing his head and extending his
hand to his followers in a dramatic
gesture of compassion. The very
mountains seem to bend and shiver
in ecstasy, while a kind of swirling,
blue-black vortex opens behind the
rising Christ.
His robes flutter upwards,
while his followers seem tangled
in their heavy drapery, their faces
anguished, perplexed or smiling
by turns. This dramatic flair and
expressive rendering of faces is
common to many of the icons.
One of the latest icons dates
from 17th-century Moscow and
depicts another Resurrection
scene. Its format is enormous,
and the painting has a Bosch-
like, chaotic feel. In its vast
landscape, a jumble of tiny
figures — troops of soldiers, cho-
ruses of angels, masses of
demons — merge in a kind of
delirious cacophony of image, as
if the artist wanted to cram an
entire universe into one
fragile frame. Smaller pictures
telling, the story of the crucifix-
ion and resurrection run around
the border, framing and context-
ualizing the scene.
Story and spiritualism come to-
gether in these dense, shimmer-
ing images, which retain a sense of
mystery and inscrutable force,
even across time and out of con-
text. This exhibition offers an ex-
cellent introduction to the Menil's
collection of Byzantine and medi-
eval art, and a fascinating parallel
to the work of 20th-century
abstractionists.
Psycho psychiatrist steals show
CRAZY, from Page 8
killing pauses. There are also some
distracting lighting design mistakes,
especially during a scene in which a
spotlight is supposed to swing back
and forth among the mindians as
they take turns responding to
Dr. Scholl's offstage questions.
More than once the spotlight
lands on the wrong character, and
the lighting crew is forced to make
a hasty correction that distracts
our attention from the dialogue. I
suspect, however, that this and
other lighting problems are largely
attributable to limited resources;
there is, after all, only so much one
can be expected to do with a single
spotlight.
Finally, despite the script's many
strengths, it suffers from one signifi-
cant misstep: the use of a gratingly
self-referential, mostly unnecessary
voice-over narration. With one ex-
ception (right before the intermis-
sion), this narration brings the play
to a grinding, awkward halt every
time it is employed, and overall I
think Can He Cook? would have been
better off without it.
Even so, the play's charm and
cleverness are enough to recom-
mend it. Anchored by Nath's solid
lead performance and an engag-
ing, imaginative storyline, Can He
Cook? entertains by following its
own goofy rules — at least until
the end, when it cheerfully throws
logic out the window altogether,
which is equally entertaining.
Black brings new definition
to music appreciation class
ROCKER, from Page 8
As if Black making kids listen
to albums by Blondie and Led Zep-
pelin as homework and drawing
elaborate pop history flowcharts
on the classroom chalkboard
weren't enough, the movie plunges
into parody of the way elitism is
manufactured through the educa-
tion system. Joan Cusack is at her
neurotic best as Principal Rosalie
Mullins, a woman so invested in
her job she seems to be dangling
on the precipice of a nervous
breakdown.
I had more fun watching School
of Rock than I've had watching any
movie in a long time. The movie
satiates the desires of the pop cul-
ture-addicted as well as anything
Nick Hornby's ever done (High Fi-
delity), but maintains a sort of deep
commitment to irreverence that
makes it impossible for the film to
take itself too seriously. And, of
course, it has the type of soundtrack
that keeps people making mix tapes:
the Ramones brushing past AC/DC,
a couple of thoroughly enjoyable
original tracks, and Led Zeppelin
(who consented to the song's use
only after Black sent the band a
personal videotaped request).
Furthermore, it's a great option
for people trying to find something
fun to do with kids that won't turn
them into losers in the eyes of the
pre-teen set. The movie's pretty darn
clean (the PG-13 rating is a result of
a minimal use of "dirty words" and
a couple of slightly off-color jokes),
but avoids the saccharine aftertaste
of a kids' movie.
Sure, a clean rock 'n' roll movie
might seem like a big fat sell out, but
who really cares? Besides, I heard
that if you play the film reel back-
wards, it tells you to kill your parents.
en
L
who? all rice undergrads. bring friends, bring props, bring pets.
what? picture yourself! ifc your chance to be in the yearbook, your way.
date? thursday, october 16th after fall break
time? 8pm till midnight
place? the grand hall at the rmc
£ampaNILL | 2004
?00¥-
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Berenson, Mark. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 91, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, October 10, 2003, newspaper, October 10, 2003; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398490/m1/11/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.