"Night Journey to the Palace of Roses," pen & ink drawing, 2.5" x 5" on heavy artist's stock.
Inspired by the films of Czech director Karel Zeman, this series of pen and ink drawings attempts to capture some of the mystical fantasy atmosphere of "The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1961-62) and "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" (1958). The latter film won the Grand Prix prize at the World Exposition EXPO58 in Brussels. These films offer a wondrous sense of fantasy and incredible adventure, with magnificently decorated sets, elaborate costumes, live action, and superlative animation. I first saw these films on American television in the early 1960's and never could forget those indelible images which Karel Zeman incorporates into his marvelous productions. There is a kind of poetry in Zeman's magical storytelling, like moments of visiting the Moon to meet Cyrano de Bergerac, Tonik, Baron Munchausen and several astronauts. We further get to meet Princess Bianca, General Ellemerle, the military Adjutant and even the Sultan in a series of fantastic episodes brimming with mystery, action, adventure and sheer imaginative fun. I have titled my drawing "Night Journey to the Palace of Roses," presented here in a series of variations produced via Google's Picasa 3 photo editing software.
These versions of "The Fabulous Adventures of Baron Munchausen" and "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" can be found on several websites. Both are English-dubbed versions of the original Czech-language films. The best versions however can be found at the Karel Zeman Museum in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in restored condition with superior audio-visual quality. The Museum can be found at www.muzeumkarlazemana.cz/en
Here are some passages from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," translated by Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883) based upon quatrains written by Omar Khayyam (1048-1122), a Persian mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. From the First Edition (1859):
Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light.
From the Fifth Edition (1889):
Wake! For the Sun, who scatter'd into flight
The Stars before him from the Field of Night,
Drives Night along with them from Heav'n , and strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light.
These remarkable verses generate spectacular images in an exquisitely poetic manner, somewhat reminiscent of the dreams, visions and artistic majesty one may find in the films of Karel Zeman.
The First and Fifth Editions of "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," translated by Edward FitzGerald in a superb Dover Thrift Edition.
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