Frodo as Cupid/Angel in Bernini's "Ecstasy"

[mechtild]

Well! I see I have started off on a smutty foot. Just to show that I have a spiritual side, too, I will post below another "Frodo Art Travesty," the second I ever made, fashioned from FotR Frodo (from the scene with Gandalf in the cart) and Bernini's "The Ecstasy of St. Theresa" -- isn't that in Florence, too?

Boy, Florence gets "David" AND the "Ecstasy"??????

Edited to add: Nope, it isn't. See Pearl's reply below. It's in Rome.]

The artist, purportedly, was depicting St. Theresa's ecstatic vision of being pierced by the love of Christ in the side, a pierce like that of an arrow (no doubt meant to mirror the lancing on Good Friday), wielded by an angel. I don't know how much St. Theresa knew about the classical myths (I'm betting she was an educated woman before becoming a nun), but the parallel between her vision and the myth of Cupid/Eros, piercing his victims with an arrow that made them fall madly in love, was certainly on my mind when I saw this beautiful statue.

Many years later, how appropriate to import the face of film-Frodo into this piece. For his arrow has been every bit as keen and piercing as Cupid's, filling me with a love that seems incurable. But, unlike Theresa's angel, mine did not pierce me through the side but, Cupid-like, elsewhere. No, not there -- through the eye! This is supposed to be the "spiritual" post, remember? Shees!

But, oh, let us sigh as one for the sheer beauty of the face of film Frodo. *sigh*

(Hey; I know I am not the only chaste book fan out there to have been so smitten!)

~ Mechtild


Frodo, as the angel who pierces the side of St. Theresa with his "arrow of pure love", by Bernini:

Comments

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

These have been lovely! Especially Frovid *sigh* and I'm not even a hobbit-fancier of any persuasion, pervy or not.

You do know, right, that you can put pictures like this behind a "cut", which is a special kind of a link that will hide them from your front page? Then people who are websurfing when they should be working have a few brief opportunities to sneak peaks at LJ from work, during their lunch periods or breaks of course, won't have to worry about blowing out the eyeballs of the person at the next desk. Or getting in way lots of trouble.

You can learn more about how to use lj-cuts here. They do take practice; it's only recently that I've gotten the hang of using them without having to look them up.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you're posting your art travesties here. I sometimes page through people's LJs, and it's easier to stumble across a nice pic. Thank you, and so glad to see you aboard! Cheers.

[elasg.livejournal.com]

LOL! And she shares the rest of these with the world!

You should go back through my LJ and see the posts I put up with selected pictures - all credited, of course. You got some very impressive feedback!

Mariole! You found it!

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Greetings, Mariole! Yes, we live in a "pictures" age. And what better pictures than images of Mr. Beautiful to feast ones eyes upon? Oh, no! Here comes another poison-tipped arrow -- that was a low blow, the cad!

Ann, thank you for that link to "cuts". I have no idea what they are, but I will look at it if you think it a good thing. In the meantime, maybe I'll just post a different "Art Travesty" with each entry, until I read up on how to make a permanent link to the whole bunch.

Ariel, I did look at the comments for "Chatterton", for "Frodo as Cupid with Psyche" and the strip of Travesties that included Caravaggio's "Bacchus." People were extremely nice, I thought. It made me really happy to know I had brought smiles and pleasure and swoons for Frodo with my manips.

I wanted to ask you or Mariole (or anyone!) about how one can post chapters. Then I could put "Threshold" here, too, since it's a multi-chapter story. I wouldn't mind having a discussion thread sort of thing for it, too, since several of its readers actually like to discuss it with me.

One day, in fact, I would like to have an organized venue for discussing individual fanfictions here, so that I could make little links for people to click authors or titles to see what readers said, but that's waaaaaaay beyond my expertise or time right now. I am sure you know by our private emails that I really do love to discuss fics in depth when they really grab me, not just oh and ah that I liked them. When I really am affected by something in heart and spirit (and body, yes), it isn't enough merely to feel it. I always want to delve into "why" it makes me react that way.

Technical question:

I noticed when snooping on Aisling's site, just to see if she had an LJ, that she posted journal entry "intro's" to her chapters, but the text of each chapter itself was accessed by a link. Where does the link link to? A copy of the text stored in the hard drive of one's own computer? Or do I have to get it hosted by some other place, like images are hosted?

I guess I should be asking Aisling! D'oh!

~ Mechtild

[pearlette.livejournal.com]

Bernini's 'The Ecstasy of St. Teresa' is in Rome, in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (boy, don't you just love how those names roll off the tongue.)

http://www.boglewood.com/cornaro/xteresa.html

My sister and I visited Rome in May 1995 - only time I've ever been. Gorgeous city (although the traffic is really loud. But that's OK - they were complaining about Rome being noisy back in the second century, so it's good to know how little it's changed!! :D )

I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so I'll be back. :)

It's a stunning statue. The line between the erotic and the spiritual is absolutely borderline. Borderline. I love the expression on the angel's face. :)

Frodo isn't bad either. :p

Roma, not Firenze

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Pearl,

I added a correction in the journal entry above about the location of the statue. Thank you! I don't want fans running off to Florence to see the angel, I mean Cupid, I mean Frodo, piercing their surrogate selves with an arrow of divine love for nothing!

You wrote:

It's a stunning statue. The line between the erotic and the spiritual is absolutely borderline. Borderline. I love the expression on the angel's face. :) Frodo isn't bad either. :p

There's a difference between them?

Seriously, it is very close. I am sure that is why religion/spirtuality and sexuality, historically, have had such an intense love/hate relationship.

~ Mechtild

[julchen11.livejournal.com]

Cute! Doesn't he look angelic ? And this smile *sigh*
So beautiful done Mechtild. I'm glad I found you ... it's a nice walk I have to say ...

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

He's a very naughty angel. (Don't we love it.) One day I'll have to find a way to get the rest of the pink out of his face to look more marble-ish.

[julchen11.livejournal.com]

You know me so very well, of course I love that naughty angel, most of all. LOL. Awwww, he's such a beauty!