It wasn't just my old washing machine that went bonkers in early February, but a whole lot of things ganged up to make me feel ill-focused and – well, spinning my wheels. For one thing, Harlequin kept nagging at me. I knew I had to do something big with him – he was everywhere in my Commedia research and is easily the most recognizable "mask" of his cohort. Wikipedia describes some of his aspects.
"His role is that of a light-hearted, nimble, and astute servant, often acting to thwart the plans of his master, and pursuing his own love interest, Columbina, with wit and resourcefulness…. He later develops into a prototype of the romantic hero. Harlequin inherits his physical agility and his trickster qualities, as well as his name, from a mischievous "devil" character in medieval Passion Plays."
You don't have to look far for Harlequin images in any mention of the Commedia dell'Arte.
There's even a historic castle in Bohemia with a whole room dedicated to Commedia characters at a masked ball:
And in the early 20th century, a private Italian palazzo was transformed by my new hero, artist Gino Severini, into another Commedia extravaganza. (Scroll down in the palazzo link past the building thumbnails to read about how Severini was inspired by Picasso).
So what about my humbler surroundings in East Vancouver? I went back to the description of Harlequin's physical agility and thought I might portray him pulling himself out of my new washing machine! That thought lasted only a few minutes, and I'll blame the whole idea on the video of a friend being liberated from the "frunk" of her family's new electric truck.
But still, the idea stuck with me of Harlequin as acrobat – an inevitable connection that comes down through the centuries.
Meanwhile, I'd come across some recent sketchbook notes I'd made after falling for this wonderful book on my Book Club's suggested reading list:
One beautiful fossil photograph had inspired a spin-off on VanGogh's "Starry Night", leading me to the idea of eventually doing a whole series of "Figures and Fossils."
That's it!! In my new schema, Harlequin would leap out of the hole in a 415-million year-old plant fossil, my second favourite of the book's photos.
I knew I was on my game when that very day (no kidding!), I came across a BBC article on the discovery of the world's oldest fossilized forest, citing among others the author of this spectacular book.
All right. Away we go. Here's a very early stage before I'd even begun to give our acrobat the face of a greatly missed young neighbour.
For those who look for the pet report, yes:-- he has two cats, a lovely costume-fitter wife, two sweet and scampy under-5 year-old kids, and the whole lot of them were evicted by a rule-breaking landlord…and have now moved to Vancouver Island.
Here's the final version of "Harlequin Escapes the Past" (Commedia series, copyright 2024). There's plenty wrong with this picture but with an Ides of March deadline, it was perhaps inevitable.
However, one good outcome is that, by taking over the process, Harlequin has "thwarted his master's plans" and demonstrated that a series devoted to "Fossils and Figures" is not really a great idea.
Fast-forwarding to the current era, here's another circular basin, this one filled with hellebore flowers floating in water. This one's for you, L.D., for being such a faithful reader.
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