in which I introduce saucydiva to the concept of victorian fairy orgies
DVD Extra: Art Edition for Who More Engilds the Night by saucydiva. Read her DVD Extra: Text Edition here.
When saucydiva first presented me with this idea, I had an immediate vision of what I wanted to do, and just about died of excitement. Whether I lived up to that vision is another story, but there was no avoiding referencing THE GOLDEN AGE OF FAIRY PAINTINGS.
I held back on the details until she specifically asked about what I thought about the setting. Here was my response:
Ambiance! Forest! You're going to be sorry you asked. So, it may not come as a surprise to you that when I think of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I think of the art more than I think of the actual play. I could not tell you the details of the plot, but I can reference a whole period of artwork influenced and inspired by it. It was a popular theme in the 1700-1800s, or generally in Victorian art, when fairies and the like were very trendy and popular not only in art, but literature and theatre as well. It even seeps into early 1900s stuff, because fairies and other magic creatures fit in nicely to the art deco aesthetic, as well. So my vision here is very directly related to that collection of actual Midsummer Night's Dream-themed Victorian art. Here's some of the examples that come to mind, most from the later period of this trend, partly because I like them better, and partly because I remember them better.
Hermia and Lysander
John Simmons
1870
There Lies Titania
John Simmons
1872
Titania
John Simmons
1866
The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
Joseph Noel Paton
1849
The Reconciliation of Oberon and Titania
Joseph Noel Paton
1847
Titania Sleeps
Frank Cadogan Cowper
1928
You'll notice that the setting isn't scary, but is mystical and dreamy and hazy and languid. The air is full of sex, and some of them are even staged like big ol' fairy orgies. Themes in settings include knotted trees, streaming moonlight, brooks, moss, hanging plants and vines, things glittering with dew. Lots of flowers (don't overthink the whole flowers in bloom at night thing) like bell flowers, morning glory, hyacinth, dandelions. Lots of fairies, but of course, in Pawnee, fairies and the like can be replaced with fireflies and raccoons. Also, nipple-free nudity is a common theme here as well, which I will avoid.
While I didn't follow my own description literally, I did hope to find my own version of a sexy forest, where magic is in the air and falling in love is just unavoidable. Thankfully, saucydiva was nice enough to play along. Her only rules were no tights on the men (though you will notice Ben's pants are squeaking by on a technicality), and no actual fairies, though I hope fairies would feel at home hosting an orgy here. Lastly, Puck never appears in the actual story, but the idea of Tom and his fat brown baby vibe as Puck was too delightful to resist. I think it's safe to assume he is behind the scenes, meddling away.
When saucydiva first presented me with this idea, I had an immediate vision of what I wanted to do, and just about died of excitement. Whether I lived up to that vision is another story, but there was no avoiding referencing THE GOLDEN AGE OF FAIRY PAINTINGS.
I held back on the details until she specifically asked about what I thought about the setting. Here was my response:
Ambiance! Forest! You're going to be sorry you asked. So, it may not come as a surprise to you that when I think of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I think of the art more than I think of the actual play. I could not tell you the details of the plot, but I can reference a whole period of artwork influenced and inspired by it. It was a popular theme in the 1700-1800s, or generally in Victorian art, when fairies and the like were very trendy and popular not only in art, but literature and theatre as well. It even seeps into early 1900s stuff, because fairies and other magic creatures fit in nicely to the art deco aesthetic, as well. So my vision here is very directly related to that collection of actual Midsummer Night's Dream-themed Victorian art. Here's some of the examples that come to mind, most from the later period of this trend, partly because I like them better, and partly because I remember them better.
Hermia and Lysander
John Simmons
1870
There Lies Titania
John Simmons
1872
Titania
John Simmons
1866
The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
Joseph Noel Paton
1849
The Reconciliation of Oberon and Titania
Joseph Noel Paton
1847
Titania Sleeps
Frank Cadogan Cowper
1928
You'll notice that the setting isn't scary, but is mystical and dreamy and hazy and languid. The air is full of sex, and some of them are even staged like big ol' fairy orgies. Themes in settings include knotted trees, streaming moonlight, brooks, moss, hanging plants and vines, things glittering with dew. Lots of flowers (don't overthink the whole flowers in bloom at night thing) like bell flowers, morning glory, hyacinth, dandelions. Lots of fairies, but of course, in Pawnee, fairies and the like can be replaced with fireflies and raccoons. Also, nipple-free nudity is a common theme here as well, which I will avoid.
While I didn't follow my own description literally, I did hope to find my own version of a sexy forest, where magic is in the air and falling in love is just unavoidable. Thankfully, saucydiva was nice enough to play along. Her only rules were no tights on the men (though you will notice Ben's pants are squeaking by on a technicality), and no actual fairies, though I hope fairies would feel at home hosting an orgy here. Lastly, Puck never appears in the actual story, but the idea of Tom and his fat brown baby vibe as Puck was too delightful to resist. I think it's safe to assume he is behind the scenes, meddling away.