Wild Boar and the Antichrist

Orvieto 27 Dec 2007

As we were strolling down the Via del Duomo in Orvieto, I saw the above visage hanging from wall in front of a store. The word for "Wild Boar" in Italian is "Cinghiale." There were, reportedly, cinghiale living in the vicinity of San Francesco, so we were instructed not to leave garbage outside. Anywho, I am a pushover for taxodermy. The cinghiale piqued my curiosity.

I really wanted to shop at this store. Sadly, by the time I had the opportunity to shop there, it was siesta, so the store was closed. I hate siesta, by the way. Sure, I like the IDEA of siesta, but it proves enormously inconvienient for tourists. I did not have any place to go where I could take a nap. I was using the limited number of daylight hours for sightseeing. Inability to visit specific stores, museums, and churches during the peak hours of the day is not for me. That being said, Orvieto is part of the Cittaslow (or slow city) movement, a concerted effort to slow down the pace of life. I would LOVE to be a part of this. Sadly, I live in a society (The U S and A) that does not easily facilitate these values. Being unaccustomed to doing NOTHING for 2 hours after lunch, as appealing as that might sound, makes for poor sightseeing. Perhaps this is not the best approach to life in an area where the primary economy is based on tourism. Then, again, in Summer, when there's no dearth of daylight hours, I would probably quite enjoy an imposed two hour break from sightseeing, which I would be COMPELLED to sit in a cafe sipping on Orvieto Classico or enjoying an espresso (in not so espresso fashion).

Orvieto Cathedral. The facade is in the Gothic style. It is particularly striking. I want to draw your attention to the bas-relief sculptures by Lorenzo Maitani.

Most of the sculptures depict stories from Genesis. (That would be the biblical story, not the band. The band, Genesis, is - or, rather, was - very popular in Italy. Nonetheless, so is Roman Catholicism, hence this is the book, not the band.)

By the way, here's Katie standing in front of Orvieto Cathedral. If you look closely, you can see both my and Maggie's reflections in Katie's sunglasses. I took a similar photo in Vienna in 2006.

Back to Maitani. This is the fourth pillar (from the left, stupid!). It depicts the last judgement. The figures on top of the line are the saved. Those below are the damned. Let's zoom in, shall we?

Although the subjects are suffering, it is remarkable at how realistic their human forms are depicted. Full frontal male nudity is an oddity in Medieval bas-relief sculpture. Damn those damned!

On to the interior. The whole building is stripey. I don't know how I feel about stripey. I like stripey when it is on stockings (VERY hot!). I don't like it so much on churches (not so hot).

Nave!
Stained glass. Notice the formica glazing toward the bottom. That's not glass. That's stone!

Interior bas-relief. I particularly like the background. The artist makes it look like a drawing. It's got perspective!

The stripey even extends to the outside. Interesting, but not hot.

One of the chapels in the Orvieto Duomo is covered in frescos by Signorelli. Sadly, I was not allowed to take photographs inside this chapel, so I had to use images that I found online (citations below).

http://www.wga.hu/art/s/signorel/brizio/0ceiling.jpg

This particular fresco depicts a demon speaking evil to the Antichrist. Of course, Signorelli, as was consistent with Renaissance Humanism, by depicting the Antichrist as a preacher, influencing the crowds to do evil deeds, was really criticizing some officials in the Roman Catholic church. I like to think of the Antichrist representing "preachers" who attempt to stear their flocks toward fundamental evil. Examples of fundamental evil, in my book, include hatred of their fellow man, demogoguery, and idol worship. In my opinion, no greater evil exists than variations on Evangelical Christianity in which is preached discrimination against homosexuals, liberals, Muslims, and humanists. Such congrgations are often guilty of demogoguery in favor of politicians (The President, perhaps) or even the preachers, themselves (Rod Parsley, I'm looking your way). Televangelism, in fact, seems to be a perfect example of idol worship. (Of course, if you need your money changed, you can get that done in the temple of some of these mega-"churches," some of which have their won ATMs.)

http://www.initaly.com/regions/umbria/pix/duomo/orvieto6.jpg

Perhaps the funniest part of these images is the fact that the depiction of the Antichrist bears a striking resemblance to yours, truly. My hair is not quite that curly, but the unkempt beard is a dead giveaway.

http://www.hellhappens.com/Antichrist-1.jpg

After the Cathedral, we sat down for a delightful meal at a local restaurant. Although the quality of the fare was more than passable, what truly stood out about this restaurant was the dramatic artwork. This photo depicts the head of an equestrian statue, comprised, primarily, out of what appeared to be driftwood. The afternoon would prove to be an exciting adventure. More to come.