Camille Flammarion
wood
engraving for l'Atmosphere: météorologie
populaire
1888
The
Sky Viewer
For
a long time, this was believed to be an anonymous engraving from the sixteenth
century. In fact, however, this wood engraving was made by Camille Flammarion
and originally appeared in his 1888 book 'L’atmosphère: météorologie populaire'
(The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology).
It
illustrates a Byzantine legend in which three monks go in search of an earthly
paradise where Heaven and Earth meet and eventually find Saint Macarius Romanus
kneeling in a lovely landscape by the gates of Paradise. (Source NRC)
The
legend of Macarius’ search for the source of immortality was previously told in
323 B.C., in a Jewish version in which he wants to conquer Paradise. The text
by astronomer Flammarion contains lyrical descriptions highlighting the beauty
of the Earth with its misty mountains, specular lakes, magnificent sunrises and
sunsets, overarched by a beautiful blue sky ‘that shows the infinity in your
depths: your existence and beauty are only due to this light yet powerful fluid
that extends across the globe. Without it, none of these views and none of
these many subtle shades of colour would exist.' (Source
Skepsis: http://skepsis.nl/flammarion/)
This
print of the Sky Viewer has hung on my studio wall for many years.
The
figure’s body is caught between day and night. The Earth is covered with
flowers and a tree, in the distance we see villages making way for a
mountainous landscape or an endless, undulating sea. From the darkness of
night, with its twinkling stars, Macarius sticks his head through the
atmosphere and there encounters the real magic, that only he can see. It’s an
illuminated universe without beginning or end, planets, clouds, new suns and a
wheel that represents the timelessness of eternity.
Behind
the visible reality, we see an endless landscape of meteorological phenomena,
ice shoals, rain, cloud formations, sunset and moonrise, and the double wheel
that is driven by the four winds and simultaneously turns around its own axis.
All
elements and dimensions come together, time seems to stand still, just like
every work of art is a moment frozen in time.
From
every angle or point of view, the horizon in the far distance where Heaven and
Earth meet will always remain distant. In an empty and flat landscape, the
horizon extends towards all directions in a circle, of which you, turning
around your own axis, are the center and first dimension. Just like in the
double wheel, the second dimension is the rotating Earth with the central axis.
The
third dimension is the universe, with its countless galaxies and universes,
dying planets, new stars; a swirling, circular, exploding and constant motion
with black holes that absorb matter and make it disappear into unknown areas.
Due to time limitations I shall omit a consideration of the factor time.
To
my eyes, this picture represents boundlessness and infinity, the mystery of the
horizon.
Anke
Roder, 2016
Anke Roder
April Sky II
2016
encaustic
and oils on wood panel
38
x 55 cm
Anke Roder
detail installation Sun Moon Clouds
2013
365 works size 21 x 18 cm, total size 3,20 x 7,40 m
exhibition Museum Belvédère Heerenveen 2014
Anke Roder (NL)
Horizon
2010
encaustic
and oils on wood
20
x 20 cm
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