Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Divine Comedy by Dali in Tophane-i Amire

The literal translation of Tophane is "ball house".  Originally, part of the Imperial Armory, where the canons and canon balls were made, is Tophane-i Amire.  Today, the building is part of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and the facility is used for art exhibits and functions supporting the school. 
 Over 120 water colors painted by Salvador Dali and inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy are currently on display.
 Natural light shines in the space through hundreds of hexagonal windows.  You will see the reflection of these windows on the pictures of the paintings, which were framed under glass.  The exhibit was well attended, and we had good conversations with students from a school in Uskudar.
 The water colors were grouped in sections for the three locations in Dante's book - Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise.  You will have to guess which painting was in which section...
 Droopy clocks come mind when you hear Dali's name.  The same technique applies to faces.
 It might be too easy to guess which section the angels are in,...


For those interested in seeing the balance of the paintings in this collection, the exhibit is open until February 26, 2012.  Also, you can search the internet and find better quality photos than mine.

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