Pop-Culture – Page 15 – The View From Sari's World

Earlier this week we visited Shakespeare and death as part of the 400^th anniversary of his passing. I thought it would be nice to take a break and do something different. Last year as part of the 450^th anniversary of his birth I gave you lists of inspired book titles, music, and poetry. You can find them all here, under the Words, words, words, Shakespeare page. Today we are looking at 7 pieces of art inspired by Shakespeare.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti The Question 1875

Pencil, approximately 19 x 16 inches. Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, England.

In a letter to his friend Frederick Stephens, Rossetti said that this drawing is based on Shakespeare’s great line, “To be or not to be, that is the question”. Rossetti may have been inspired by both Shakespeare and the death of Oliver Madox Brown, the son of Rossetti’s friend, Ford Madox Brown. Oliver drowned in 1874. The death must have been distressing to Rossetti who also said in his letter to Stephens, “The mystery of early death, one of the hardest of all impenetrable dooms“.

Edwin Austin Abbey, Richard Duke of Gloucester, and the Lady Anne, 1876

Oil on canvas, 52.5 x 104.25 inches. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.

This painting depicts the scene that occurs in Richard III, when Richard, who has played a part in the deaths of Edward, Prince of Wales, and his father, Henry VI, admits, “What though I killed her husband and father,” maliciously woos Anne, who is taking the body of her father-in-law Henry VI to his burial in Chertsey. The painting was accompanied in the Royal Academy catalogue for 1896 with these lines from Richard’s final passage in the scene: “Was ever woman in this humor wooed? / Was ever woman in this humor won?” I’ve yet to see a production that fully explains Anne’s willingness to marry the man who wanted to “prove himself a villain”

Sir John Gilber, Shylock after the trail 1873

Steel engraving, approximately 6.5 x 10.5 inches, by G. Greatbach. The engraving is from Charles Knight’s two-volume Imperial Edition of The Works of Shakespeare (London)

Here’s a fun fact, the title of Gilbert’s painting is a misidentification and so is misnamed. After the trial Shylock leaves the stage and we hear no more of him. The action Gilbert illustrates here occurs before the trial but after Shylock learns that his daughter Jessica has eloped with Lorenzo (and a large sum of his money). This painting shows Shylock running madly through the streets lamenting his lost daughter and money. It should be titled, Shylock after the betrayal.

William Blake Portrait of Shakespeare Date unknown 1800-1803 (?)

Tempera on canvas, approximately 16 x 32 inches. Manchester City Art Galleries

Blake based Shakespeare’s portrait on the engraving of Droeshout (First Folio fame). Shakespeare is surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves. Emory points out, on the right is the scene where Macbeth goes to the witches and receives his second set of prophecies; on the left is the ghost of Banquo, pointing to the first of the succession of kings”.

Edward Robert Hughes The Shrew Katherina, 1898

Watercolor, 19 x 28 inches. The collection of Mr. and Mrs. Sandor Korein.

This paining fascinates me; it could be any woman who has a lot on her mind. The color scheme matches the Lady Katherina’s mood. Emory tell us:

Hughes portrays Katherine in an uncharacteristically pensive mood, contemplating her empty plate and glass, hungry, and no doubt mulling over what course of action she might take. She complains of her hunger to the servant Grumio and implores him to bring her some food.

Charles Hunt The Play Scene in Hamlet 1868

Oil on canvas, approximately 18 x 26 inches. Yale Center for British Art.

I found this painting to be so fun and full of life I just had to share it. This is my first taste of Hunt; he could easily become one of my favorite artists. Apparently the Victorians agreed, as they adored paintings of children as much as they did Shakespeare. Hunt found success with this painting and produced other whimsical painting of children performing Shakespeare. His works include, The Banquet Scene: “Macbeth” and The Trial Scene: “The Merchant of Venice”. Oh how I’d love to have them all.

Henry Fuseli The Three Witches Date unknown. After 1783

Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Picture Gallery and Museum, Stratford-upon-Avon.

This is the painting that always comes to mind when I think of when artists and Shakespeare.Not much is known what inspired Fuseli to paint the three witches as accusers, which is to bad, as this is one of the most famous Shakespeare inspired pieces of art, next to Sir John Everett Millais’ Ophelia.

Do you have a favorite Shakespeare inspired piece of art? What would you have included in your list?

Works referenced/Cited

English.Emory. edu Shakespeare Illustrated

Shakespeare, William Richard III Folger’s edition

A biography of each artist can be found by clicking the link on their name

If you live in the U.K. and are a fan of the TV show Horrible Histories then I bet you were excited to see the cast finally on the big screen in the movie Bill, a comedy based on the early life of Shakespeare. If you live in the U.S. and have no idea what I’m talking about, chances are you had no idea this move even existed. Conversely, if you live in the Reno area, like Shakespeare but not comedies based on his life, chances are you skipped this movie. This is evident from the picture below. For a community that boasts a yearly Shakespeare Festival, the support this movie received was nonexistent. What a shame as this turned out to be a very enjoyable film.

On April 11 Cinemark Theaters hosted a one-night only showing of Bill. Selected Cinemark movie theaters across the country screened the movie as part of the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. This is the same movie house company that participates in one-night only live broadcasts of the Globe Theater. This is how I was able to see Hamlet live a few months back. Thank you Cinemark!

I, unlike many of my fellow local Shakespeare fans, will attend almost any production that has an association to the Bard. This is why Monday night I spent the evening enjoying a bit of silly British culture.

For those unfamiliar with the British series, Horrible Histories a brief note of explanation is fitting.

Horrible Histories (HH) ran from 2009-2015. The show was a series of silly skits designed to teach school children a little about history and a lot about satire. The show was a hit and the franchise expanded to include games, books, magazines, live theater productions, and educational material. Adults became big fans of the series as well because, unlike American children’s entertainment, Horrible Histories is smart and at times, subversive with subtle adult humor thrown in. Think Monty Python lite as it is obvious the model for HH was Ripping Yarns. And, if you are unfamiliar with that, well you have a lot of catching up to do.

Back to Monday night. A friend, who I am happy to report, is learning to really like Shakespeare, and I made plans to have dinner before heading to the movie. And, like all good groundlings, I enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner. If it was a proper theater I would have enjoyed another glass. America, what we really need are old fashion serving wenches! Hell, crusty ol’ wine stewards would work too.

As we entered the theater my friend jokingly made a comment about us being the only ones in attendance. I laughed, but as we turned towards the seats we were shocked to find that there was only one other person in the theater! For a moment I wondered if the management would cancel the viewing. We were joined by one other person, an older man who must have been lost because when the movie started he got up and left.

This lady was only to happy to let me take her picture. She was glad for the company

The plot revolves around Shakespeare’s very early days in London. To be specific, his first few weeks in London and the events that “led to his discovery”. Queen Elizabeth has invited King Phillip of Spain to England in order to secure the return of Richard Hawkins. As a way of showing that England “has the finest culture”, she demands that one of her courtiers write a great play after he boasts about being a the best playwright in all of England. Meanwhile, Phillip plots to use the play as a “Trojan Horse” in order to kill the queen (“not a real horse” he has to keep explaining to his inept assassins).

The plot is as silly as any of Shakespeare’s early comedies; for those who know their Shakespeare, the in-jokes are a lot of fun. Bill, as he is known, is a lute player in the “Mortal Coil” troupe. But, after rocking out one too many times, they kick him out and tell him to “shuffle off”. Actually the music is quite good; I hope there is soundtrack to the movie. Being a failed musician, Bill sets his sights on writing and the London stage.

What makes this movie so enjoyable is the writing and silly situations our players find themselves in. There are nods to Monty Python, Star Wars, and of course, quotes from Shakespeare’s plays. What would have made this movie even better was if Shakespeare had only quoted Shakespeare, as the real joy came at the end when “Shakespeare”, having found his “voice” gives a speech that was a mash-up of some of the best lines of his plays. My favorite Shakespeare moment comes when he is giving advice to the players, Hamlet style. Had one of the players asked if he could play a lion, I would have really lost it.

The movie moves along quickly, with one-liners and jabs coming at the audience at a steady pace. This works in a comedy yet doesn’t allow for the audience to capture the whole thing; between the quips and background antics I felt we might have missed some good stuff. It’s definitely a movie worth a second viewing. But maybe that’s the point. The producers certainly know that one reading or performance is never enough when it comes to Shakespeare. There are many layers to his work; there is something fresh every time we revisit his world. And if we get the chance, another viewing this movie will bring new delights to giggle over.

If you live in the U.K. and have not seen the film you are in luck. It’s due to be released in DVD form this month. For those of us outside of the U.K. we can only hope HH understands we know the movie’s the thing and uses it to catch the conscience of a whole new audience.

Christopher Marlow: Saying things in a short snappy way instead of a long drawn-out way is the soul of wit.

Bill Shakespeare: You mean brevity?

Horrible Histories

Tag: Pop-Culture

7 Pieces of Art Inspired by Shakespeare

We saw “Bill” and had Shakespeare all to ourselves

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