Kircher, in one of his engravings, presents the Ark as a monumental hangar under the raging clouds, floating through corpses of all sorts –men's, horses', fish's – while other works catalogue the Creation…
In J.Hazera's painting, the noise and rage beat the Ark's sides while, as the inside is widely open to the viewer's sight along a bird-eye view, one cannot but notice how peacefully the creatures live, as if an invisible bell protected them. The night surrounds a bit of closed territory, suffused with a soft light. The Ark is a pot-bellied nutshell, dubious about its ability to float between the foaming sea and the sky, crossed over by phosphorescent projectiles. Noé is standing up, naked, his arms up towards the sky he is appealing to, is he praying ? is he angry ? his companions make the best of the situation. This large egg-shaped form is comforting, and its inhabitants seem to be in gestation there. One can witness their nonchalant way of life: some bring the circulation back to their paws, others to their legs and arms, some are dozing, others are sound asleep, and some are calmly contemplating the sight. The rounded Ark, in its gold light, rocks its creation through terror.
A punishment for those who were not lucky enough to be on the right side, the stem of the ship of insane people which forces its way through the sacrificed, the well-to-do sailing over the third world… Art is the most tragic and the most useful of our games when it comes to dance by the edge of the abyss or to over it up with flowers.
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St Savin Fresque romane.
Kircher Athanase 1675 (détail)
Kircher : L'embarquement.
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