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VISUAL ANALYSIS: NICOLAS TOURNIER’S DENIAL OF SAINT PETER

by perrin moore

The Denial of Saint Peter is an oil canvas painting of the Christian saint, martyr, and Apostle of Christ Peter in the New Testament moment of his denial of being a disciple. This piece was painted by French artist Nicolas Tournier around 1630 and is of French origin. It currently resides in the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a religious group portrait depicting the aforementioned Saint Peter surrounded by people, some of whom look upon him in shock upon his denial.

Saint Peter himself is positioned center-left, cloaked in a distinctly old-world cloak and tunic, while the surrounding six figures are clothed in what would have been contemporary garb for Tournier. Five of these remaining six figures are soldiers, armed with rapiers and clad in elaborate Western European armor. A man reaches across a woman situated between Peter and he, grabbing the Apostle’s wrist. Peter points to himself, as if to illustrate his, “Who, me?” of a denial to his grasping accuser. A small fire pit rests at Peter’s feet, while an altar lies directly to the viewer’s right of it. Atop the altar, the four remaining soldiers are casting lots.

Considering the age of the piece, it has been preserved with remarkable quality. Still showing clear smooth brushstrokes and a fine soft varnish, its colors remain vibrant and its contrast remains deep. In utilizing oil paint on canvas, Tournier not only ensured his piece would stand the test of time, but also possess a dramatic depth in contrast. Likely aided by additional varnishing in the centuries since its completion, The Denial of Saint Peter has deep contrast between its light and dark areas. Illuminated by a single bolt of light angled from the upper left corner down to the lower right, this chiaroscuro effect piercing through the piece borders on tenebrism.

At approximately six feet tall and over eight feet long, this painting presents its subjects at life-size, if not a little larger. Being a religious piece, this scale was likely highly effective in sponsoring a reverent atmosphere to the viewer – likely those of the Catholic inclination. The tale of Peter denying his involvement in the discipleship of Christ is one in a series of betrayals by those closest to Jesus. Acting as a warning and sort of parable for one of the Ten Commandments themselves, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” this painting would have been commanded reverence and attention. Peter’s “neighbor” in this story is Jesus Christ himself. French Catholics of the time would have viewed this as one of the worst lies and biggest betrayals of history, right next to that of Judas. The shape of the piece is rectangular, being wider than it is tall, and contains natural shape of subject. The piece is dominated by warmer toned colors like Peter’s orange cloak, two soldiers red tunics, the orange glow of the fire cauldron, and the yellow hue of the light source, but one soldier wears a striking pair of dark green tights and a bright white tunic. These are interesting choices by Tournier and certainly aid in separating that soldier from the rest. Whether it is to show his importance as a leader of the rest of the soldiers depicted, or to set him apart as his reaction to Peter’s denial is the only one of pure shock, the coloration of his clothing certainly makes him stand out.

The figures depicted are naturalistic, but certainly not realistic. Obviously, the guards accusing Saint Peter of following Christ weren’t Caucasian French soldiers from 1630. However, the depiction of them in this piece as such likely would have immersed the contemporary viewer much more effectively. Their bodies are covered in elaborate clothing, so it is difficult to decipher how idealized their figures are underneath. Peter is depicted as older with a balding head and bushy beard, a typical sign across art of wisdom. The rest of the figures are younger, and all have profile or downcast gazes save the woman to the viewer’s left of Peter and the shocked soldier in the colorful clothes. Peter bears his aforementioned pose of innocence with his left hand raised high and his right pointing rhetorically at himself. The accusing soldier reaches out to grab him to illustrate this accusation, while the woman by Peter seemingly defends his lie. The colorfully garbed soldier looks on in awe while his friends continue with their dice.

The composition of this piece is relatively straight-forward. The aforementioned bolt of a light source paints a clear downward-cast line through the piece, which essentially follows the eyes of each figure own from the accusing guard all the way to the seated young soldier sitting at the table. There is a clear left-to-right composition and eyeline established through these positions of the figures and the lighting. The weight of the piece is mostly even as well, despite there being an odd number of subjects. The two guards on the right side of the frame take up about as much space as the accusing guard on the left, while the man casting the die offsets the woman defending Peter. As the subject himself, Peter is offset by the green-tighted soldier to his left.

Ultimately, this piece is a tour-de-force and clearly places Tournier alongside the greats of his time as a stalwart of the Baroque period. Adopting a clearly more Italian Baroque style in his native France, Tournier was doing something different than his local contemporaries and The Denial of St. Peter illustrates how validated he was in pursuing this influence. Immaculate style, deft composition and technique, as well as worthy subject, means this is one of the great underrated French Baroque paintings and a must-see at the High Museum of Art.

Works Cited

High Museum of Art, Museum Label for Nicolas Tournier, The Denial of St. Peter, Atlanta, Georgia, 7 February 2020.
Nicolas Tournier, The Denial of St. Peter, c. 1630, oil on canvas, 5’3” x 7’11”, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia.

february 2020

WEARING YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE

A Feature on Alternative Band Merchandise and Trends Within the Scene

by perrin moore

For alternative bands in the underground hardcore, metalcore, and punk scenes, selling merchandise is much more than a way to gather petty cash to pay for food and gas on tour. Within the last decade, underground band merch has evolved right alongside the music of those who produce it. Some modern bands have shifted from focusing on music. In fact, these bands have been criticized for being nothing but clothing brands who produce music every few years as a cover-up.

For fans, band merch does not merely operate as a windbreaker to keep you warm in the fall or shorts to keep you cool in the summer. Pieces of merchandise from revered bands operate as a way of displaying fan’s identities. Many people do not think about what they put on in the morning beyond its appropriateness for the day’s activities, whether it’s for work, a party, or a funeral. For fans and members of the underground scene, the band logos on their shirts are reflections of what is inside of them.

One thing emphasized in the underground metal scenes of the world is catharsis. Noteworthy bands with a widespread consensus of creative integrity and ingenuity are a staple of the scene; bands like Converge, Every Time I Die, and Brand New. “I wanna know that they’re real people,” says Alex “Brewtality” Leben, a ten-year veteran of the local scene in Charleston, South Carolina as an independent booker, band manager, and lead vocalist of the now-defunct hardcore band Rawhide. “I like knowing that the person I’m supporting with my money is legit.”

These bands emotionally resonate with the thralls of screaming, crying, thrashing fans in the pits of their concerts, and these fans are a breed that wear their hearts on their sleeves, and their favorite band’s T-shirts on their bodies.

The ebb and flow of trends across merch tables for bands on tour has interestingly coincided with other, broader fashion trends, and has increasingly broadened from just graphic T-shirts. “I feel like streetwear like Supreme has majorly influenced the indie music market,” says Kansas City, Missouri-based merchandise manager Eric Fain. “Those trends have bled over to the scene.”

Fain started working as a merchandise manager for post-hardcore outfit The Devil Wears Prada in 2013 and currently tours with California-based progressive rock band Chon. He observes men wearing side-bags as one of these streetwear-inspired trends. “That’s a huge thing that honestly I feel like is kind of an unspoken movement, that we need a place to put our accessories that aren’t our pockets,” says Fain. “I started working with Chon, who basically is going for that streetwear type of thing, like not your average merchandise. And on top of streetwear, straight up sportswear like athletic apparel.” Some of these sportswear-inspired garments are shorts.

Men’s shorts dominated the summer of 2017, with bands like Senses Fail, Neck Deep, and Silent Planet giving their audiences license to display their calf tattoos . Ranging from $20- $30, shorts offer a more unique fashion alternative to a T-shirt and often feature smaller logos, helping consumers avoid chunky, large graphics that are out of style on the broader scale, but still show their support for their favorite bands on their outerwear.

Another interesting development on tour has been the evolving designs of classic staples within the scene. “One of the trends I’m noticing is a lot of sleeve-print,” says Fain, referencing long-sleeve T-shirts design. In regard to hoodies, Fain says, “People started doing these cut and sew hoodies that are two or three colors but they’re all stitched, just from different cloth.”

Clothing besides T-shirts, long-sleeves, and hoodies has become an interesting option at merch tables as well. “I did a couple Metallica shows and we did one of them out at the Cardinals baseball stadium and we had custom Cardinals/Metallica collab jerseys made,” says Fain. “We sold all of them. That was a really cool one.” In the ever-changing landscape of band merchandise, originality hits home with fans. Leben adds, “I would make it a point to buy [merchandise] that no one else was buying.”

As band merchandise has shifted towards trendier fashion and everyday wear alongside the rise of the Internet and e-commerce, limited-edition online merchandise has become very popular in the scene. For years, Merchlimited.com has provided the rarest, most coveted pieces of merchandise available off-tour, collaborating with bands such as Counterparts, Terror, and Between The Buried And Me. Merch Limited produces made-to-order clothing, often produced with higher-quality garments from brands like Champion and Carhartt. T-shirts are the most popular items on the website, but other notable offerings include windbreakers, sweatpants, and backpacks. By collaborating with a website like Merch Limited, bands are able to sell merchandise, such as backpacks, which otherwise could take up too much space to carry along and sell at the merch table on tour. Beyond this, the limited quantities of merchandise, coupled with the high-quality, means that nearly every new collaboration sells out in weeks, sometimes days.

One caveat is that limited quantity and high-quality results in increased price per garment. Along with the large demand for Merch Limited collaborations, bands are finding huge success selling merchandise online. This trend of selling limited editions of certain garments again closely mirrors sales and marketing techniques utilized by streetwear brands like Supreme.

On tour and online aren’t the only places to acquire band merchandise, however. Popular retailer HOT TOPIC was founded in 1989 and specializes in counter-culture clothing, accessories, and jewelry. With over 600 brick-and-mortar stores located in shopping malls across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, HOT TOPIC is the largest alternative culture retailer in North America. Interestingly, they divert from the norm in the scene and tend not to cater to trends. “[There’s] no streetwear influence, that kind of falls more in our general fashion, not band merch,” says Olivia Smith, manager for almost three years of HOT TOPIC in Northwoods Mall in Charleston, South Carolina. “[Our] trends overall are just color schemes. We see lots of red, obviously black.”

HOT TOPIC also isn’t delving into more unique items like side-bags or hats but focuses on the tried-and-true classics like T-shirts, hoodies, and band-themed jewelry. One reason might be that they serve a generally younger audience, mostly teenagers, who listen to newer, more popular bands. “We used to see a lot more old-school bands, like we used to have more Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, those types of bands,” says Smith. “But with the new bands coming out like Twenty-One Pilots and Why Don’t We, it’s more of that poppy-rock now.” HOT TOPIC merchandise is generally a few dollars cheaper than tour or online merchandise, which could appeal to parents still footing the bill for their kids clothing.

Additionally, these massive pop-rock bands of today play gargantuan shows in arenas, making tickets more expensive and the merch-buying process less personable and more difficult, with long lines at the table leading to missing parts of the show. Going to the mall is a classic activity for teenagers and there is no cost of admission. It’s much easier for a group of teens to head to the mall and pick up a T-shirt at HOT TOPIC on the weekend than convince their parents to buy a $100 concert ticket, drop them off, give them extra money to spend on merchandise, and pick them up after.

Though resisting trends can statistically sound the death knell for most fashion retailers, HOT TOPIC demonstrates the most common trend amongst themselves, online retailers, and merchandise managers on tour. Knowing your audience ties band merchandise providers and the musicians behind the music together to provide a product that fans everywhere will flock to purchase. At least they hope.

may 2019

ONE LOOK SERIES: THE GREEK “QUEEN OF PRINT” CONQUERS CRETE

by Perrin moore

Whenever London-based designer and the so-called “Queen of Prints” Mary Katrantzou is mentioned to fashionistas, one word comes to mind: pattern.

Her signature style is in full show at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, where the exhibit “Kaleidoscope Katrantzou: 10 Years in Fashion” is on view until September 22.

As soon as one enters the open-concept layout, every garment is visible amid mirrored columns dividing the room, creating a kaleidoscopic effect. In fact, the exhibition itself exists as a pattern.

While pieces are grouped in different sections based on when Katrantzou produced them, the museum exhibitors created an overarching sense of unity in the room. However, there is one particular section that seems to be an entity of its own — the designer’s Spring/Summer 2017 “Minoan” collection.

Four mannequins are symmetrically positioned like statues of Greek gods atop the tympanum of the Parthenon. In addition to the arrangement of mannequins, their garments are directly influenced by ancient Greece and the Minoan civilization that preceded it to the south on the island of Crete.

The mannequin identified as Number 57 wears a pantsuit in a digital print on a synthetic fabric. The “Maia Top,” also known as the “Thoukis Medallion,” and the “Thoukis Trousers,” along with a synthetic orange and crimson olive wreath adorning the mannequin’s head, reference the designer’s Greek heritage. The “Minoan” collection by Katrantzou, who was born in Athens, is a fitting homage to her homeland.

“I never wanted to use classical Greek art, because being from there, it seemed too obvious,” said Katrantzou in a 2016 interview with Vogue. “But this time I thought — Why not?”

Inspired by ancient Minoan art from Crete, the designer handpicked scenes featuring women, taken from artifacts and temples, and transposed them digitally onto fabric. The Number 57 ensemble features a woman throwing a discus and below it, an ornamental seal depicting an enigmatic man sticking his tongue out, similar to the seal on the center of the shield of the statue of Athena Parthenos at the Parthenon.

In an avant-garde twist, Katrantzou found inspiration in ’60s and ’70s music posters to complete the look. Swirling, psychedelic patterns bedeck the piece on the bodice, the sleeves and the trousers in their entirety.

Radiating from the Minoan iconography at the center of the piece and flowing outward, a crimson, mustard, white, blue and green geometric pattern emphasizes the ancient depictions, drawing the eye to the forefront of the design.

With her “Minoan” collection, Katrantzou shed her reluctance to use Greek art in the creation of her fashions, but it has taken several years of exploring the world to get there. In Europe, she has won numerous fashion awards. She has worked in North America designing costumes for the New York City Ballet and has been recognized in Africa for an African nation-inspired design worn by Beyoncé at the Global Citizen Festival.

However, with this piece and this collection, it is evident Katrantzou has set her sights — and her heart — firmly on that small Greek island in the south.

published may 2019 https://scadconnector.com/2019/05/26/one-look-series-the-greek-queen-of-prints-conquers-crete/

10 YEARS OF KATRANTZOU

Innovation Through the Eye of a Kaleidoscope

by Perrin Moore

Greek designer Mary Katrantzou is no stranger to the sea. Born by the Mediterranean, attending college on the Atlantic, and running her design house near the Thames, Katrantzou has lived her whole life near iconic bodies of water. Now, she drifts seemingly alone in the sea of uninspired homage, vintage style recycling, and unimaginative reuse that is the modern idiosyncratic fashion industry. However, Katrantzou is no castaway, but a force of nature in originality and innovation who still draws inspiration from the classic wells.

At the Savannah College of Art and Design’s SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta, GA, a massive retrospective is currently being exhibited. “KALEIDOSCOPE KATRANTZOU: Mary Katrantzou, 10 Years in Fashion” chronicles the London-based designer’s journey from 2009 up-and-coming aspirant to the 2019 A-list “Queen of Print” she is known as today. Featuring everything from her debut Fall/Winter 2009 collection “Woman in a Bottle” to her high-profile “Print by Numbers” dress worn by Cate Blanchett on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, this exhibit does a highly effective job of creating a physical timeline that visualizes Katrantzou’s evolution and rise as a designer. A majority of the SCAD FASH Museum’s 10,000 square feet are dedicated to “KALEIDOSCOPE KATRANTZOU”, which undoubtably drew its name from the way the exhibit is displayed. The exhibitors at SCAD FASH utilized an open floorplan for Katrantzou’s retrospective, dividing the room down the middle only with several mirrored columns. The walls are lined with more mirrors and combined with the reflections of the many prints and patterns of Katrantzou’s work a distinct kaleidoscopic effect emerges.

The real strength of the exhibit does not lie in its physical style, however, but in the way it presents Katrantzou’s evolving spirit of avant-garde innovation and imagination. From humble beginnings with simple structure and all-over patterns such as the previously mentioned “Woman in a Bottle” collection, Katrantzou began experimenting with shape and structure with her Spring/Summer 2010 collection “Blown Glass”, inspired by sound waves and modeled after the organic shape of blown glass. With her Fall/Winter 2010 collection “Madame de Pompadour”, Katrantzou began toying with more ornate decoration inspired by 18th-century art and that provided the jumping-off point she needed to take her work to the next level. Puzzle pieces, Legos, and pencils are just a few of the industrial ornaments utilized by Katrantzou since. Tastefully adorned to accent garments inspired by ancient, classical, and contemporary art, Katrantzou’s industrial ornamentation and experiments with structure keep her work different and refreshing, pushing the envelope of innovation and refusing the tempting comfort of stagnation.

Katrantzou is the monikered “Queen of Print”, and it speaks to her structural eye that she can utilize images and inspiration from previously existing material for her printed designs and still make it fresh. Hailing from an ancient artistic and cultural epicenter like Athens, it is no wonder Katrantzou has a keen eye for art ready to be reimagined with her trademark ingenuity and up-to-date takes. While alone at sea, Katrantzou has sustained herself now for over 10 years on inspiration derived from timeless art and modern industry, and the high fashion industry has certainly taken notice. Just 10 years into her career, this is only the beginning of her journey.

“KALEIDOSCOPE KATRANTZOU” at SCAD FASH is open to the public and available for viewing through September 22, 2019.

april 2019

GAIMAIN’S NORSE MYTHOLOGY

THE Commonality of Origin Across Ancient Culture

by PERRIN MOORE 

Neil Gaimain’s Norse Mythology begins with an epic tale depicting the Norse mythological view of the creation of the Earth and man. Instantly upon reading, this tale conjured images similar to those heard from other cultures. Ancient cultures in Norway and throughout the ancient world all share incredible similarities and differences in their origin stories.

In Norse Mythology, the world was created when Ymir, the first living being, was killed by his descendants, Odin, Vili, and Ve, the three sons of Bor, grandson of Ymir. Ymir’s blood became the oceans, his flesh the soil, his bones the mountains, his teeth the rocks and sand, his skull the skies, and his brains the clouds. This is the Norse myth of the creation of Earth. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, the world was created when Shu and Tefnut, children of Atum, mated and produced Geb, the Earth, and Nut, the skies. In Ancient Greece, the world was created when Nyx, the only live being existing in a void, laid a golden egg that hatched and produced Eros, the god of love. The two halves of the egg’s shell then became the sky and Earth. In Judeo-Christian culture, God himself created the heavens and the Earth and filled the world with light, skies, oceans, vegetation, the sun and moon, and animals on the land and in the sea across the span of a seven days.

Much like in Norse Mythology, the Egyptian and Greek myths begin with a solitary being, Heka then Atum in Egypt and Nyx in Greece, existing alone in a void. In Judeo-Christian canon God existed alone similarly, though he had already created a world void of shape. Another parallel moment is the creation of other major gods, Shu and Tefnut in Egypt, Eros and the titans in Greece. These major gods or titans would go on to procreate and create the gods whose stories are still told to this day, including Thor from Norse mythology in films and comics like The Avengers, Set from Egyptian mythology in films like The Mummy (2017), and Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book and film series. The Judeo-Christian faiths are monotheistic, meaning they acknowledge a single deity, so they obviously separate pretty drastically after the initial creation in that more gods were not created or born, though stories of God and his descendant Jesus Christ are still prevalent in modern culture in films like The Passion of the Christ.

However, there is one major difference in the stories as well. In Norse Mythology, the creation of the world is spawned by a brutally violent murder of the solitary being existing in a void, whereas in Egypt, Greece, and Judeo-Christian culture, the creation myth is more wholesome and organic. In Egypt, the solitary being was just lonely, so they created more gods and in Greece the solitary being simply bore a child. In Genesis, God’s motivations for creation are not explicitly revealed. This discrepancy seemingly can be attributed to a difference in attitude among cultures and perhaps a more relaxed view of death from the Norse side. For them, life could not exist without death. Ancient Greeks are widely viewed today as debauchers and revelers, and Egyptians as hard workers and thankful worshippers. Ancient Norse culture is still viewed as barbaric and dark, coinciding with their grimmer creation myth.

The other aspect of the creation story in Norse Mythology that can be compared to other ancient cultures is the myth of the creation of man. In Norse Mythology, the story goes that man was created when Odin, Vili, and Ve found two logs of wood, one ash and one elm, whilst searching the newly created world for signs of life. The logs were stuck in the sand, had life breathed into them, were given “will” and intelligence, and were crafted into the shape of human beings. The ash log became Ask, the resilient and handsome male, and Embla, the graceful and tough female. These two protohumans would go on to procreate and sire us all. This story of human creation is very similar with the Christian and Jewish origin stories of Adam and Eve. In the beginning of the Judeo-Christian Bible, it’s stated God created two protohumans as well; Adam and Eve. Down to the letters their respective names start with, the two origin stories first humans are quite comparable. In the Judeo-Christian canon, God also created his first people out of something natural taken from the Earth, dust, like how the three Norse gods assembled theirs out of pieces of trees. In Egypt, man was created when Atum shed tears of joy at his children’s safe return from a quest and the tears fell upon the Earth. The fertile soil then gave birth to man and woman. Similar to the Judeo-Christian origin story, the first humans were formed from the ground. In Greece, mankind originated from Prometheus, son of Zeus, who sculpted man out of clay. Again, this creation story centers around man being crafted from one of Earth’s elements.

There are a few differences in these ancient culture’s creation stories, too. In the Norse and Judeo-Christian origin stories, two distinct individuals were created and procreated to bring forth the rest of the world’s population. In Greece and Egypt, these first humans are created nondescript and came forth more abundantly initially. In Norse and Judeo-Christian mythology, the first humans are safeguarded in a utopian location, Midgard in the Norse story and the Garden of Eden in the Judeo-Christian story. In Greece and Egypt, the first humans simply inhabited the Earth as we now it now. In Greece and the Judeo-Christian culture, mankind was similarly inflicted with pain and suffering after breeches of trust, in Greece the opening of Pandora’s box and in Judeo-Christian culture Eve eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. In Egypt and Norse mythology, mankind seemingly knew of mortality and pain from the onset.

When compared it is clear that Gaimain’s Norse Mythology and many ancient cultures share incredible similarities and differences regarding their stories on the creation of the Earth and mankind. Beyond ancient culture, many still hold the Judeo-Christian origin story to be fact while the stories of ancient Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythology are used as inspiration to tell new stories. This speaks to the immense power these stories held in ancient culture, the power they hold now, and the power and influence they will hold for years to come.

 Bibliography

“Norse Mythology” by Neil Gaiman, text 

“Ancient Egyptian Mythology” by Joshua J. Mark, website, Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Mythology/

“Greek Creation Myth” by Lindsey Murtagh, website, https://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths_16.html

“Prometheus” by Mark Cartwright, website, Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/Prometheus/

“The Book of Genesis” Official website of the Vatican, website, http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/genesis/documents/bible_genesis_en.html

iMDB, Internet Movie Database, website

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/?ref_=nv_sr_1

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2345759/?ref_=nv_sr_1

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/?ref_=nv_sr_1

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335345/?ref_=nv_sr_1

JUNE 2018