A Y U S H

29 Jan 2012 • 95 views
 
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photoblog image Character of Death, Charon

Character of Death, Charon

Painted on a fairly large ceiling of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi (Florence, Italy), it is impossible to have captured all of this fresco of Greek characters, but nevertheless I was fascinated by this section. I have never seen a grim reaper in a feminine depiction (or maybe they always were, under the black hood and cloak). The ferryman is the titular Charon, tasked with crossing the newly dead from one side of the river to the other, only if they could pay for the ride. Thus, corpses were always buried with a coin underneath their tongue to pay Charon. Those unable to pay were condemned to wander the banks of the river. Painted by Luca Giordano, widely considered a talent, bordering close to a genius.

Character of Death, Charon

Painted on a fairly large ceiling of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi (Florence, Italy), it is impossible to have captured all of this fresco of Greek characters, but nevertheless I was fascinated by this section. I have never seen a grim reaper in a feminine depiction (or maybe they always were, under the black hood and cloak). The ferryman is the titular Charon, tasked with crossing the newly dead from one side of the river to the other, only if they could pay for the ride. Thus, corpses were always buried with a coin underneath their tongue to pay Charon. Those unable to pay were condemned to wander the banks of the river. Painted by Luca Giordano, widely considered a talent, bordering close to a genius.

comments (13)

Wonderful shot Ayush! You've depicted this wonderfully! When in Florence, I was amazed by the gruesome vulgarity that could be found even in a church when the Christians were trying to depict hell. I suppose if you're trying to get the point across to a people who don't read, it does the job! It just seemed a little sacrilegious to me, to be in a church with such a scene!
nice tones Ayush
What an incredible painting - you've captured it well.
I could stare at this for hours. This man surely knew how to paint in the classic way..
What a fantastic scene!
You capture it very nicely.
Both the paining and the story are something new to me, thanks for posting this Ayush.
  • Fred Adams
  • Great Britain (UK)
  • 29 Jan 2012, 15:22
Lovely tones Ayush - is this close to original?
  • Sharon
  • United States
  • 29 Jan 2012, 17:33
Beautiful shot, Ayush. That grim reaper is terrifying!!

Sharon
Very dramatic Ayush, I was always taught the the eyes of the dead would be covered by pennies rather than in the mouth. Either way a grim ritual.

A grand painting indeed.
  • CherryPie
  • Great Britain (UK)
  • 29 Jan 2012, 23:22
What an amazing scene, you have captured it so well.
  • Louis
  • South Africa
  • 30 Jan 2012, 07:47
The facial expressions of the guys in the background is quite interesting.
I've been on cross channel ferries with this crew.
Terrifying scene and a wonderful painting at the same time. Great crop.

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for this photo I'm in a constructive critical comments icon ShMood©
camera Canon EOS 450D
exposure mode full manual
shutterspeed 1/14.99s
aperture f/4.5
sensitivity ISO1600
focal length 37.0mm
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