My publisher has just been in contact with regard to the cover of my next book. I find it yet another example of synchronicity that they have, quite by chance, suggested a rather obscure painting by the great Italian surrealist Giorgio Di Chirico (see image opposite - the painting is called Portrait of Guillaume Apollinaire as a Premonition). Now look at the photo of me taken on the Greek island of Tilos three years ago (on the right if you are unsure). See a synchronistic - and really weird - similarity? Imagine my photo suffused with a greenish light and me with a rather unflattering 'cow-lick' quiff. Then add a little chiaroscuro shading to the left of my profile and what do you have?! Uncanny isn't it. Can be added to the Philip K Dick Anarch Peak strangeness.Those of you who are avid readers of this blog will know full well my fascination with this great painter. Indeed his name has come up on at least twice before.That his inspiration has a direct relationship to ITLAD, CTF and the Daemon-Eidolon Dyad can be seen from this description of an academic paper published on his work a few years ago:
"It has been suggested that the great Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), who developed the unique style of 'metaphysical art', suffered from migraine and used some of his morbid manifestations as a source of inspiration for his paintings. Yet, whereas many of the symptoms that de Chirico described are rare in migraine, they are frequently encountered in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Here we rediscuss de Chirico's symptoms critically and suggest that, if his symptoms were of neurological origin, they rather relate to temporal lobe epilepsy than migraine."
The evidence for ITLAD just gets greater and greater. Indeed, in the words of the great but little known late 1980's band Timbuck3 - "The Future's So Great I Gotta Wear Shades"!!!!
7 comments:
This is perplexing, and uncanny and beautiful. I don't believe in accidents. What will the book be entitled?
Hi Susan,
There is a publisher's meeting this week to discuss this topic. At the moment the most popular suggestion (and one I agree with) is simply 'The Daemon'. There will then be a strap line saying something like 'the greatest secret of all time' or something similar that will catch a potential reader's attention.
By the way I had great problems trying to get this posting to work properly. This was my third attempt. I had spotted that between one design and another it appeared on the blog and some members had posted responses. I am sorry that these were subsequently lost when I had to delete the post and re-post it. As I do not know who they were please re-post when you have a moment.
Tony,
You're getting your De and Di mixed up (well listening to Timbuck 3 will do that to you)
It's Giorgio DE Chirico and here comes another synchrondipity - I have a print of his "The Disquieting Muses" on the wall of my library at home (well, library makes it sound over grandiose as it's merely the back bedroom containing about 20 bookshelves).
But still, of all the painters in all the world, you had to choose one of mine (etc).
*still shaking head at Timbuk3*
Di Di Dum!!! When I posted it I am sure I heard my Daemon say "check the spelling". Oh well. Indeed my spelling of Timbuk 3 is also wrong (bad day on the old literacy front I guess).
Timbuk3 consisted of a husband and wife, Pat and Margaret McDonald, and a drum machine. Without the machine I guess that they were Timbuk 2. Their only hit was 'The Futures Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades' back in 1986. Indeed their record label was the now legendary (in my opinion anyway) IRS label that also had the great Guadalcanal Diary, Let's Active and an obscure band by the name of REM.
ANTHONY; I think the syncronicity with Karl's library is significant. Also, Jesamyn the lone Aussie found a print by this very same artist; of a lounge with couches and chair and lamp, and at the center, a patch of water, and a boat and ferryman making his way accross. I think she ought to post the picture. Karl I wrote you a reply on the other. . .
Tony, nice gag on the Timbuk2 (I was looking for it myself but was struggling as I'm in a hyper-grumpy mood!!)
*forced smile*
And REM, never heard of 'em.
Checkout Michael Stipe and the GENIUS that is Mr Eddie Vedder performing "Man on the Moon" at the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame Induction in 2007.
And Andy Kaufman, now there was another example of someone who walks the quantum line between madness and genius.
And Susan Marie (*MWAH*)
Tony and I are seldom suprised any more at the sheer level of synchrondipitous ((c) Anthony Peake) event between us. I only have four prints in my library. One is the De Chirico "The Disquieting Muses", another is Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory", another is a large print of Lenin (for obvious reasons to those that know me) and the last is Pieter Brueghel's "Tower Of Babel"
ps (Susan Marie, I got your other reply - *hug*)
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