Mar. 9, 2022
Museum Zoom Meeting
I took part on a zoom meeting concerning an upcoming exhibition of Tudor art at the CMA. There were some interesting observations and comments concerning future exhibits and the possible major Tudor exhibition coming to the CMA. I'll be writing more on that as time allows in the future.
There were a few comments that more or less came down to an exhibit on the Tudors would have little to do with their life and political and social injustice issues currently in their life. Which in a way might be true but if you look closely at the undercurrents going on at that time I think there are. I suggested that the CMA hold plays by Shakespeare ( King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth would be my choices ) in the museum atrium in conjunction with the exhibit. I didn't have the chance to mention that the more informal propaganda plays put on in villages, towns, and cities sponsored by the crown to get the masses behind the crown's agenda would also be a good choice. Those purely propaganda informal plays and the undercover agents employed by the crown who were on a constant lookout for anyone who dares speak out against the crown can with a little imagination be seen in nations today.
The subject took me by surprise. I had just started a series for an exhibit at The Cleveland Print Room and the Ukraine and Covid will probably be a big part of the series. Right now the Tudor's were about the last thing on my mind. At one point before the topic of the Tudors was revealed an image of a painting was shown. The image was of an elderly well dressed woman with father time on one side and death on the other. Two flying putti were above her holding a crown. The first thing that came to my mind ( and after a longer look I realized it was completely off ) was Faust. I had just gotten the 1926 Murnau's silent film and was halfway through watching it. For some reason the scene when Faust is at a crossroad calling up the devil came to mind. It took a bit of time before I could place it as Queen Elizabeth at the end of her life dying with death and father time, etc.