V A R D A N
THE FLORENTINE COLLECTION
All attempts to create a visual representation of the epic work of Dante, while maintaining the multilevel depth were unsuccessful. One of the most known ones was, of course, Doré. He created more or less a series of illustrations for each song of the Divine Comedy, nice pictures, but not a deep work that reveals the secrets of human psychology. Centuries have passed since Dante wrote his Comedy, but the text is still relevant for the most part. The tasks of the artist and his place in this world have changed dramatically. The comedy was written using the street dialect called Italiana. Why, you ask, Dante used the language of commoners? For one simple reason. He wanted illiterate people to be able to "read" his poem by looking at the pictures.
The Divine Comedy has several levels of understanding that are not accessible to undedicated readers. After Dore, there were several attempts to portray the Comedy, but they all failed. Blake, Dali, and Ernst Neizvestny, to name a few. They and several others tried to explore the text just by reading the text. There also was someone named Dürer who became the champion of all mediocrities. When the great Buanaroti saw the pictures made by the German, he laughed and said with malicious sarcasm characteristic of him: this is drawn by those who make crutches.
The Florentine Collection does not pretend to be traditional or temple-like. It takes its beginning and learns from the temple but does not imitate it.
On January 6th of 2022, Vardan embarked on an ambitious project to create a unique canvas for each canto of Dante’s epic poem. He began by placing his viewer in the front row. He removed Virgil and Dante from being our guides and translators. Now no one interferes with the process of perception of what is happening. The viewer sees everything in the first person. But what is that we see? Some characters that appeared on the canvases do not seem to be in the original text. The thing is that Vardan shows the deep layers the ones under the surface perception. He invites the viewer to take the text and study it to understand everything depicted in depth. He destroys the established canons, sometimes even frightening the viewer with his innovation and non-traditional reading of the epic poem, without violating but emphasizing its integrity. The Florentine Collection is created in the style of Archaic Conceptualism, the authorship of which belongs to Vardan himself, who draws inspiration from the depths of world history and its progress. He is the only disciple of Ernst Neizvestny. Connect the unconnected. is his motto. To go beyond the ordinary not with vulgarity, but with a deep understanding of the world, which requires an ongoing process of study, meditation, and channeling.
The Florentine Collection is equal in its size to the Last Judgment fresco on the Altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.
THIS MONUMENTAL PROJECT IS
DEDICATED TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF
THE CREATION OF THE DIVINE COMEDY.
AN ENTIRE COLLECTION OF ONE HUNDRED OILS 122 x 1122 cm ( 4' x 4') each
WILL BE SHOWN IN THE SEASON OF 2025 IN THE LAND OF DANTE.
THE HIGHLY POETIC, CONTROVERSIAL, AND TIMELESS COLLECTION
IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN FLORENCE, ITALY, AND AFTER THAT
WORLDWIDE.