Vienna Travel Gallery presents CARNEVALE DI VENEZIA from February 8 to 21, 2011. Carnival started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. During the 1970s, the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of their efforts. Work by Marianna Venczak, who promotes her work with a Premiere Portfolio at absolutearts.com, will be highlighted in this exhibition.
Also included in the exhibition is:
Lusine Breitscheidel
Gerald Grünwerth
Margot Holzapfel
Gerlinde Kosina
Branislava Nikolic
Gabriela Sack-Neumann
Andrea Plank
Regina Unger
IMAGE
Artist: Venczak Marianna
Title: Carnival
Year: 2011
Medium: Watercolor
Width: 245 mm
Height: 160 mm
The word Carnival ital. CARNEVALE comes from Lat. CARNEM LEVARE or CARNEMLEVARIUM, which means to avoid meat and it is referred to ancient medieval tradition to celebrate, after a long period of feast and entertainment a party of goodbye to meat during Ash-Wednesday, forecasting Lent fast and penances.
Developed around the Roman Catholic festival of Lent (QUARESIMA or the “the forty days”), carnival was associated with the pre – Lenten festivals practiced on and around Martedi Grasso (Fat Tuesday)
Traditionally, the forty days in Lent would mark a season of sorrowful reflection, fasting and abstinence from fruit, eggs, meat and diary products.
The Carnival in Venice is said to have originated from an important victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima" (how it was called the town of VENEZIA in those times), in the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, in the year 1162. To celebrate this victory, dances and reunions started to take place in SAN MARCO SQUARE.
Of course, how it was usual in those times, and due to the multicultural character of Venice, magicians and others joined the fun. Who for business, who for fun only.
The period of carnival opened the season of operas and comedies, and all of Venice waited for new shows with impatience.
Albinoni and Vivaldi took responsibility for operas, and the finest vocalists enraptured a public that was very fond of exquisite voices. Some people were quite expensive: the famous Farinelli asked astronomical prices. No worries! In Venice, music is a passion, because Venice is the country of music. The young person Mozart was present at the carnival of 1771.
The time was as jostled as the rest. More established rhythm, place in fancy, in improvisation and in surprise of meetings! Freedom and anonymity guaranteed by the mask, artistic pleasure doubled by imagination and licentiousness, a catharsis which lasted several weeks and an incredible cosmopolitanism, this is what made the Venetian carnival absolutely unique.
Under the most complete anonymity, complete fantasies, liberties and nonsense were lawful. Everybody found their place in this general catharsis, including the homosexuals who were not appreciated in Venice: The young women could disguise themselves as beautiful pages; the men dressed up as women played “Gniaghe” which approached the passers-by by employing evocative and ambiguous purposes, or enjoyed calling out different obscenities to them.
Mardi Gras, last day of carnival
All these bacchanals attain their fateful paroxysm on Ash Wednesday which marked the beginning of the festivities.
On Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday), they set off fireworks in broad daylight, and in the evening they burn an effigy of carnival: a stake was raised on the piazzetta near columns, and they threw in Carnival which struggles by shouting affronts. And everything ends with Cavalchina, last masked ball before the Lent and the return to peace. At midnight bells ring to announce the end of festivities.
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