Midsummer Night

Tonight (June 21st, 2011) is the beginning of Midsummer.  Summer begins today, it is the longest day of the year, and throughout human history it has been seen as an opportunity to get a little crazy, indulge in play-acting and fantasy, and take a break from the quotidian reality we have to deal with every other day of the year.

The Bard knew this.  His A Midsummer Night's Dream is probably my favorite Shakespeare comedy.  It does not have the one-liners and zingers like some of his other comedies or comedic scenes in his histories, but it is about the power of imagination, and I like it.  It, too, is about getting a little crazy, going off into the woods and having some fun.  It has also provided us with some great examples of art and illustration.  Shakespeare himself uses the word "transformation" in his play, and I like that specific word.  The play in some ways is about the power of the imagination, particularly that of the poet (a tip of his own hat) to provide words (spoken verbally or read in print) and have the audience transform those heard or read syllables or squiggly lines into visions and emotions.  An artist also has to be able to envision a work in the mind, believe in the vision and him or herself as an artist in order to complete the vision.  There is a truly a transformation of idea (vision, feeling, emotion, concept) into art (some physical representation of that idea).  And there is no guarantee that the observer of that art will transform that work into a specific thought or emotion.  It is up to the audience/viewer.

Titania and Bottom, oil on canvas, c. 1790 by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825)

Above is Henry Fuseli's painting, Titania and Bottom.  It is housed at the Tate Britain Museum.  From the Tate's website:

Fuseli first read Shakespeare's plays as a student in Zürich. This painting illustrates the scene in A Midsummer Night's Dream in which the Fairy Queen Titania is punished for her pride by her husband Oberon. He casts a spell which makes her fall in love with Bottom, whose head has been magically replaced by that of an ass. Here Titania orders her fairies to serve his every whim. Shakespeare's enchanted realm held a special appeal for Fuseli, allowing him to explore the supernatural world. This painting was commissioned by the publisher John Boydell as part of his 'Shakespeare Gallery' (From the display caption September 2004).

I can't imagine that this was what Fuseli saw when he saw a performance of Midsummer.  By the look of it, this scene would have been too complex and costly for an 18th-century theater to produce, so we can assume that it is Fuseli's interpretation of the text of the play as he read it aloud or in his head.  He "transforms" what he sees in his mind's eye and painted it on the canvas.  I would argue that this painting is more about composition, light, and the human form rather than the characters or play itself.  I have never seen this painting in person, so I will leave further commentary to other art critics.  Tate's description mentions Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, and I love including examples of printmaking and book illustration.  Here is the engraving after Fuseli's painting:

Engraved by Jean Pierre Simon (c.1750-1810)

An engraver is often commissioned to "copy" or "replicate" another work of art, but it should never be called "copying."  It takes enormous amounts of skill to create an engraving, let alone reproduce accurately another work of art.  To recognize the amount of effort and artistic skill for an engraving like this one, I wanted to give credit to the engraver, and show a detail of the engraving.

I have done etchings (another form of intaglio printing), and I know that it takes thousands of precise cuts to produce a work like this.  And then there is the art of wiping away ink from the plate.  It is crazy amounts of work.

Moving on to another artist, when it comes to book illustration, there aren't many more famous than Arthur Rackham.  His illustrations made the Peter Pan stories famous, and his ethereal and grotesque watercolor paintings have provided plenty of readers with wonderous visions (and sometimes nightmares).  Below is Arthur Rackham's interpretation of Bottom and Titania.  To me, this illustration communicates much much more of what is happening here.  Titania, madly in love, is running recklessly to the much larger and gruesome character of Bottom.  And Bottom's body language speaks volumes.  He is not seeing his love and running towards her.  His feet are pointed away from her.  His arms are tense.  He is turning around.  He seems startled and confused, which makes sense, because being in "the Woods" during Midsummer is about being confused, and having your expectations and reality turned on its head.

Humans have always been intrigued by transformations.  Men turn into vampires after being bitten, werewolves transform by the light of the moon, men turn into monsters after drinking potions.  Gods have often been half-human and half-animal.  The Greek gods would appear as animals (Zeus as a bull or swan) and one of the most famous Greek monsters was the Minotaur (head of a bull).  The Egyptians gods would have the heads of animals (Thoth had the head of an ibis).  There is something horrific to these half-human figures, but also attractive and alluring.  It's a reminder of our animal aspect.  They represent our basest character flaws and our highest powers of imagination.  Not only does Art allow an artist to transform his or her thoughts, ideas, and emotions into a communicable physical form to share with others, but Art also has the power to transform our deepest fears about ourselves into something we can laugh at and enjoy.  So, when you are partying off in the woods tonight and the rest of this week, remember to be grateful for poets and artists alike.  They allow us to fantasize about being lovestruck fools and complete asses, but keep us sane and human.