Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Good morning and Happy Thursday! I hope you are having  a great week so far. I have always enjoyed reading books by the well-known author Dan Brown, who wrote the now quite famous The DaVinci Code. The main character in most of his books is a professor named Robert Langdon who is well versed in art history.

   I have always enjoyed books that create a fictional story around something that is real or historically factual. I am always impressed with Brown’s clear knowledge of the history of art and architecture, and I'm sure he does extensive research when he writes his books to make Langdon’s character that much more real and believable.

   Through reading Brown’s novels I always learn things I never knew before and often find myself running to Google to look up whatever it was I just read about. And in each and every case there it is real and beautiful just as it was described in the book. The latest book by Brown I am currently reading is called Inferno because it centers around the writings of Dante’s Inferno. Langdon’s character is on a mysterious hunt through Florence and Venice to stop a madman from releasing a plague into the environment. Along the way they have been through the palaces and cathedrals of 15th and 16th Century Italy and the art that is from that period.

   I learned about Vasari’s ceiling paintings and frescoes in the Sala del Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. These beautiful works were actually done as part of a restoration long ago. The characters in the book have an exciting chase in the attic space (which is also real!) above the room.

   I also learned of Botticelli’s lesser known painting “The Abyss of Hell” based on Dante’s descriptions in his famous book. The painting is very claustrophobic and rendered in drab colors…not at all like the typical works that Botticelli did like “The Birth of Venus” or “La Primavera”.

   These are just a few of the marvelous details placed in the novel. To me, the best experience is to learn something while also being entertained and Brown’s books never fail to deliver in that regard. Similar stories can be found in his other works such as Angels and Demons and The Lost Symbol. If you are a fan of exciting fiction and art history I highly recommend Brown’s books!