The Fine Art of the Muse.

Muses in Raphael's Parnassus (1511)

Artistic Inspiration from the Classical Era - Transformed for Modern Times.

The Muses come from Greek mythology. For art, poetry and literature and were the goddesses of inspiration for literature, science and the arts. They were to have personified knowledge of all the arts – as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Modern words deriving from Muse include Museum, Music and Amusing.

Giuseppe Blasotta

Fast forward to 2012, unbeknownst to me I found myself playing the role of an inspirational artistic force majeure, i.e. muse to contemporary artist Giuseppe Blasotta. Born in Foggia, Italy in 1972, he started his career as a philosophy teacher in Turin then went on to study of Christian archeology in Heidelberg, before he turned his full attention to becoming a painter.

I first met Giuseppe in St. Moritz, Switzerland several years ago. This apparently happenstance meeting led to yet another exciting personal and meaningful professional relationship. I initially became an admirer, then friend, finally in Giuseppe's own words “a muse to his creative inspiration.”

Guiseppe's patrons have included Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher of the continental tradition, and best known for his 1960 magnum opus Truth and Method. As Guiseppe explains – "... back in 1999 Gadamer inspired and guided me to bridge the symbolic ideals between philosophy and painting."

From the collection of Dr. Sylvie Veneny - Paris, FR

Another early supporter is Donatella Di Cesare – who in turn recently wrote a book on Gadamer: APhilosophic portrait, helping explore the concept of “philosophical hermeneutics.”  

Among other well know collectors who began to take note of Giuseppe's work was Hervé Acker. He  actively supports young artists like Giuseppe - to help them achieve recognition early on - that empowers their careers to take flight.

Blasotta, his Muse and works in NYC.

Giuseppe approached me about showing his art to more collectors, dealers and gallerists. A close friend of mine named James Goldschmidt  (who met Guiseppe with me) was able to connect him with Ethan Cohen. 

Cohen had established Kunstahalle Beacon and set Giuseppe up there as an artist-in-residence - in this upstate New York venue. An informal representation of his works has ensued.

A Muse reflects on Blasotta's art.

At a recent breakfast in midtown, Giuseppe once again looked to me as a source of inspiration as he shared his most recent works. I asked him who the woman was in one of the paintings who had a striking resemblance to me.

He exclaimed "It's you. You are Glanzrock! - a shining, and glamorous living work of art."

I found myself asking: “Is art a reflection of life or is my life reflected in art?”  

It is a-musingly both.