Delphic Sibyl redux
I could not recall for the life of me where I had seen the portrait. It's not that I am an expert in art history; it felt familiar. I didn't want to disturb the artist as it was near the end of the festival.
In the middle of the night, it came to me. Duh! The portrait is from the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. It is part of the depiction of the Sibyls and Prophets. Here is what I recall from my chapel tour:The Delphic Sibyl is rendered as if distracted from reading a scroll. Perhaps the distraction is a vision. We'll never know. What the viewer does know is that both eyes exude the animation of a sudden emotion that the rest of her body resists. Accompanying the sibyl are two youngsters in the background. But they are not the source of the distraction. They almost appear to be completely unaware of whatever spooked the sibyl.
I lingered at this painting for what seemed like hours trying to absorb its beauty in a vain attempt to let its story reveal itself. Pshaw!
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