Down to Earth – Homage to The Magic Flute, 2018
42 cm x 30 cm
Acrylic, shaped wood reliefs and enamel on panel
Descended from noble and wise skies, in the roar of distant thunder, between clouds sculpted in the flashing light and in the sunset, Astrifiammante presents herself as Papessa of the night. An evolved Queen, armored in her long robes, wrapped in starry veil of the miter that covers her head.
Down to Earth pays tribute to The Hall of Stars in the Palace of the Night Queen by Karl Friedrich Shinkel , a work begun by the German artist Karl Friedrich Thiele (1780-1836). In the famous preparatory gouache for the theatrical scenography of Mozart’s Magic Flute , the entry into the scene of the Queen of the Night, Astrifiammante, tortured by the pain of the kidnapping of daughter Pamina and guided by revenge against Salastro, Great Priest of the Kingdom of Wisdom.
The bright blue sky accompanies the Queen in the descent, the stars give to the background the appearance of a Celestial dome, in Down to Earth the effect is emphasized through the geometricalization of the star segments, transforming an ancient dome into a futuristic planetarium in a new and unknown dimension. The so ordered and symmetrical stars demonstrate the Queen’s victory over Chaos, her evil and salvific power elects herself as directress of an apocalyptic overture. With its alien features, the Queen identifies herself and dissociates herself from the fallen human species into the trap of preconception and ignorance.