adversus-solem-ne-loquitor

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REVENGE ANGER

FEAR REGRET

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National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN), Italy

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Tomes and tea. Tea not pictured, it was the right drinking temp.

Currently reading Circe and I’m really enjoying it thus far!

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Palaces of self-discovery: A series on libraries

“Reading is solitude,” Italo Calvino once said, embodying the inspiration behind this series. These temples of cultural worship gather communities, and yet the literary experience, and therefore the experience of a library, remains solitary. Giving groups of scholars and peers glimpses into the past, present and future of humanity, literature offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore one’s self from within through the unique internal narrative that each reader develops. It is this internal narrative that forms us when we are young, matures with us, and grows when we feed it. It was the first means of travel offered to many and continues to be the most accessible form of escape for millions of people seeking knowledge, the world, themselves. It is with an eye towards this improbable bled of public space and private experience that Poirier displays some of the finest libraries, both classical and modern, across Europe.  

Poirier’s perspective pays homage to the personal touches and interpretations of literature that these architects brought to each library. Like fingerprints, each architect crafted his vision for a new space for this sacred self-exploration. These seemingly minute details are everywhere, from the balance of natural and artificial light to optimise reading yet preserve ancient texts to the selective use of studying tables to either foster community or encourage lonely reflection. The selection of these libraries that span space, time, style and cultures were carefully selected for each one’s unique ambiance and architectural contribution. This is reflected in Poirier’s tasteful use of symmetry to highlight classical values of beauty, and the strong visual interpretation of the solitude that one feels when immersed in reading.

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Hercules and the Horses of Diomedes. 1801. Joseph Dorffmeister. Hungarian 1764-1814. oil/canvas.      http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

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Echo and Narcissus (Detail), 1903 John William Waterhouse

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Various renditions of The Birth of Venus. (Sandro Botticelli, Alexandre Cabanel, Francois Boucher, William Adolphe Bouguereau, Henri Gervex, Fritz Zuber-Buhler, Eduard Steinbruck)

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Sometimes I forget that I am not, in fact, the characters in my books. This usually happens while I am writing.

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“il m'a expliqué en souriant que rien n'est blanc ou noir et que le blanc, c'est souvent le noir qui se cache et le noir, c'est parfois le blanc qui s'est fait avoir.”

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Happy International Book Day ;)

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On all levels except physical I’m a rich independent Parisian courtesan in the 17th century who hosts gatherings to discuss the literary arts with my intellectual lovers.

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Mood : being an aristocrat from the romantic era who cries over italian landscapes and ancient ruins because nature is beautiful and life is meaningless.