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Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, 1993: Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz

Kult Velike matere, ki se je v izrazito helenizirani različici kasneje razširil po celotnem Sredozemlju in se ponekod obdržal še vse do konca 5. stoletja po Kr., je s prvimi prepričljivimi materialnimi dokazi izpričan v Anatoliji že v prvi polovici 1. tisočletja pr. Kr. Kibelo so častili kot boginjo plodnosti in materinstva, po drugi strani pa tudi kot božanstvo divje neobrzdane narave in zavetnico mest. Njeno relativno dobro dokumentirano čaščenje v antičnem Rimu (v katerem so se nedvomno odrazile ideološke potrebe in odmevali politični smotri uradnega državnega kulta) se je nedvomno razlikovalo od izvornega frigijskega obredja. Naloga prinaša kritični pretres vprašljivih predpostavk, na podlagi katerih se je v starejši zgodovini raziskav utrdilo sporno prepričanje, da lahko nekatere Kibeline značilnosti, ki jih sicer poznamo izključno iz helenističnih in rimskodobnih pričevanj, povežemo že z izvornim anatolskim božanstvom. Razprava, ki temelji na izboru posebno zgovornih mest pri antičnih avtorjih, pritegne pa tudi najbolj relevantno ikonografsko gradivo in se še posebno pozorno posveča kompleksnemu imaginariju t. i. »Patere iz Parabiaga«, izpostavlja zlasti potencialno najbolj kontroverzne prvine Kibelinega kulta, na katerih so bile občasno celo še v novejšem času utemeljevane vprašljive hipoteze o dejanski naravi frigijske boginje matere (npr. Atis, svečeniki gali, običaj kastracije in ekstatični obredi). The earliest material evidence of the cult of the great mother-goddess of Anatolia dates from the first half of the first millennium B.C., while her worship – which in its later, Hellenized, form spread across the entire Mediterranean basin – did not completely die out before the end of the fifth century A.D. Cybele was not only the goddess of fertility and motherhood but also a deity of mountains and uncontrolled nature as well as the protector of cities. The comparatively well-documented rites associated with her in ancient Rome (which were inevitably affected by the ideological premises and political aims underpinning the official state cult) must have differed significantly from the earlier cultic practices in Phrygia. Accordingly, this thesis seeks to critically re-examine the problematic premises of earlier scholarship that unwarrantedly tended to trace some of Cybele’s characteristic features, which are only attested by Hellenistic and Roman sources, back to the original Anatolian deity. By drawing upon the especially relevant passages from ancient authors and selectively adducing the pertinent iconographic evidence (including the complex imagery of the so-called Parabiago Plate), the present study pays particular attention to some of the potentially most controversial aspects of Cybele’s cult (e.g. Attis, Galli, ritual castration, and orgiastic rites), which have also in the more recent past occasionally led to unsubstantiated speculations about the true nature of the Phrygian Mother Goddess.

Naloga se osredotoča na primerjalno analizo ženskih mitoloških likov v izbranih delih Jeana Racina in Nicolasa Poussina in iskanjem morebitnih povezav med obema avtorjema. Prvi del je posvečen Racinu in njegovima tragedijama Fedra in Andromaha. Sprva se posvetimo avtorjevemu odnosu do antike, ki ga zaznamuje temeljito branje in poglobljena analiza antičnih avtorjev. Tragičen pogled na svet, v katerem se zrcali vpliv janzenističnega determinizma je ključen za razumevanje Racinovega gledališča. Literarni junaki so obsojeni na propad, niso možni nadzorovati svojih strasti, kar pripelje do tragičnega zaključka. Naloga opozori na Racinovo nasprotujoče upodabljanje aktivnih ženskih in pasivnih moških likov ter predstavi nekoliko drugačno interpretacijo tega fenomena. V nadaljevanju sta podrobneje analizirani tragediji Fedra in Andromaha, pri čemer je posebna pozornost namenjena ženskim likom in njihovim odnosom. Prvi del razprave se zaključi z kratkim ekskurzom, ki vsebuje izbor posebno povednih likovnih upodobitev naslovnih junakinj na antičnih rimskih sarkofagih. Drugi del je namenjen Nicolasu Poussinu. Uvodoma se okvirno seznanimo s slikarjevimi načini kreativnega zgledovanja po antičnih vzorih, nato pa se posvetimo izboru Poussinovih zgodnjih del, ki upodabljajo slavne mitološke zaljubljence. Enako kot bajeslovne junakinje, ki nastopajo pri Racinu, imajo nekateri ženski liki dominantno vlogo tudi pri Poussinu. (Zgodnejši raziskovalci so vzroke za to posebnost iskali v slikarjevem zasebnem življenju, bolj verjeteno pa je razloge treba iskati v specifičnih željah Poussinovih izobraženih rimskih naročnikov.) Izpostavljene so tri slike iz 30. let 17. stoletja: Selena in Endimion (Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit), Kefal in Avrora (The National Gallery, London) ter Mars in Venera (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). Poussin si je za ta svoja dela izbral znane in pogosto upodabljane mite, vendar jih je ustvarjalno presnoval in zgodbo vsakokrat predstavil na svoj izvirni način. Za razliko od Racina, pri katerem sta v obeh obravnavanih tragedijah ključna ženska lika navadni smrtnici (Fedra in Andromaha), pa so ženske protagonistke na vseh treh izbranih Poussinovih platnih nesmrtne boginje. This MA thesis centres on comparative analysis of female mythological characters in selected works by Jean Racine and Nicolas Poussin as well as on an investigation of possible parallels between the two artists. The first part is dedicated to Racine and his tragedies Phèdre and Andromaque. At the outset it focuses on his attitude to the Classical tradition, which is characterized by a thorough reading and an in-depth analysis of ancient authors. The tragic view of the world, which reflects the influence of Jansenist determinism, is key to understanding Racine's theatre. Literary heroes are doomed, unable to control their passions, which leads to their tragic end. In particular, the thesis underscores Racine's opposition between active female and passive male characters and proposes a more nuanced interpretation of this phenomenon. In the following paragraphs, the tragedies of Phèdre and Andromaque are analysed in some detail paying special attention to the female characters and their relationships. The first part of the study concludes with a short excursus that surveys some of the especially telling depictions of the titular heroines on the ancient Roman sarcophagi. Summarily discussing Nicolas Poussin’s specific approach to Classical antiquity, the second part focuses on those of his early works that depict famous mythological lovers. As was the case with the heroines portrayed in Racine’s plays, a number of Poussin’s female characters seem to also assume comparably dominant roles. (Earlier scholars were seeking an explanation for this peculiarity in the vicissitudes of the painter’s private life, even though it was more likely determined by the particular preferences of his sophisticated Roman patrons.) Three paintings dating from the 1630s are examined in some detail: Selene and Endymion (Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit), Cephalus and Aurora (The National Gallery, London) and Mars and Venus (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). In these instances, Poussin drew upon well-known and often depicted myths but creatively reinterpreted the standard pictorial narratives in his own original manner. In contrast with the two tragedies of Racine, where the key female characters (Phaedra and Andromache) are mere mortals, all three women protagonists in the aforementioned paintings by Poussin are immortal goddesses.