Michelangelo and Mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe, Thomas, 1987, gelatin silver print, © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI is renowned for his Renaissance masterpieces, often of religious subjects: the David, the Pietá, the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer of the 1970s and 1980s, is remembered for his sexually-charged, often homoerotic images: statuesque nudes, rippled backs, a self-portrait with a bullwhip.
But the two men shared characteristics—and approaches to art—that stretched across time, as explored in the Galleria dell’Accademia’s exhibit Robert Mapplethorpe: Perfection in Form, recently extended by popular demand to run in Florence until January 10. (continue to essay)

Spain and the Ballets Russes

Dying Swan Elena Glurdjidze (photo: Annabel Moeller) © English National Ballet

As noted in the Sept/Oct issue, this is the centenary year of the Diaghilev Ballets Russes. Since the art of dance is global, it is not surprising that on a recent trip to Spain I saw the English National Ballet at the Liceo, the opera house in Barcelona, in a program billed as an homage to Diaghilev and his company.
The English National Ballet, formerly the London Festival Ballet, has antecedents in the Markova-Dolin Company and began performing in 1949. They focus on a mixed repertory of 19th century ballets, including Bournonville, works by Diaghilev’s choreographers and a certain number of new pieces. (continue to essay)