Metamorphosis: Titian 2012
National Gallery, London, July 11th to Sept 23rd
The National Gallery in London is having a Titian-fest and the Royal Opera House is joining in. So are three youngish British artists, seven choreographers, three composers, 14 poets and a fleet of dancers.
When he died, in 1576, Titian was the most famous artist in the world. He was a master of colour, and while his proportions might look over-generous (thunderous thighs, bulging bottoms), his paintings are Renaissance masterpieces. “Diana and Actaeon,” “The Death of Actaeon” and “Diana and Callisto” are three of the best and they lie at the heart of this project. Part of a series of mythological paintings based on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, they are full of intense drama. Surrounded by bosomy nymphs, Diana and Actaeon exchange a thorny glance before Actaeon is clawed to death by his own hounds.
In response, Chris Ofili, Conrad Shawcross and Mark Wallinger are creating stage sets and costumes for three new ballets to be performed at Covent Garden. “The artists we have selected are very different,” says Minna Moore-Ede, curator of the show. “I wanted at least one painter, and they all needed to think big.” She commissioned them two years ago and has been working on the show for five. “We still have an awful lot to do,” she says with a nervous giggle. “Nothing is finished.” The details have been kept under wraps; and not just for effect. “We will only know when the curtain goes up.”
There is a poetry project, too. Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney et al, chosen by a panel chaired by A.S. Byatt, have produced new work inspired by the paintings. The poems, capped at 25 lines, vary in tone and texture—like the original text. A screening room will show the poets narrating their work, along with snippets from the ballets. Original music for these has been commissioned from three leading composers, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Jonathan Dove and Nico Muhly; the choreographers include Wayne McGregor, who is not afraid to be peculiar. Throw a bit of Titian into the mix, and who knows what to expect.
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