Shakespeare’s Surreal Portrait by the Argentine artist Juan Carlos Liberti (1931-2014) shines at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford upon Avon, (England) to our pride. In 2011 at the IX World Shakespeare Congress organised by the International Shakespeare Association (ISA), which took place on July 17th to 22nd in Prague, Czech Republic, the Directors of Fundación Shakespeare Argentina featured his illustrations on Rafael Squirru’s Shakespeare translations, which Liberti had painted back in the 70’s. (See related articles below)
Happy to share this article on FSA and Liberti published on the site of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
We were honoured to be given the opportunity to include this Juan C Liberti painting in our new Famous Beyond Words exhibition, which opened at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in March 2014.
The painting was kindly contributed by the Fundación Shakespeare Argentina, who have been celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th birthday with a series of events and activities this year.
Our international collaboration with the FSA is particularly fitting in the context of the Famous Beyond Words exhibition, which explores the ways that Shakespeare’s work continues to influence people all over the world.
The FSA also recently presented the Trust library with a copy of Rafael Squirru’s translation of Hamlet, which was illustrated by Liberti in the 1970s.
We were thrilled to include the painting in our exhibition and to ensure that Argentina’s presence was represented amongst the global span of items on display.
https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/william-shakespeare-juan-c-liberti-1982/
We wish to thank the generosity of the Argentine photographer Emmanuel Frezzotti for collaborate with MACLA and FSA.
Liberti´s works have also been included on Getting to Know Shakespeare a free and online course made by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (Section Breathing Shakespeare) See link: http://gettingtoknowshakespeare.com/getting-to-know-shakespeare
Here, an excerpt from the article by Dr. Paul Edmondson, creator of “Getting to Know Shakespeare”
“The surrealist paintings of Argentinian Juan Carlos Liberti were first shown to me at the World Shakespeare Congress in Prague in 2011. The first Shakespeare Association in Argentina was just about to start and the organisers were keen to show me a response to Shakespeare in paint. I immediately liked what I was shown: fresh, well executed, and the work of a considerable draughtsman. I find Liberti’s artistic vision of Shakespeare totally compelling in the way it reminds me of the surrealism of the characters and the language and imagery they use. We might be used to thinking of Shakespeare’s characters as being recognisable, ‘real’ people. They’re not. ‘Hyper- real’ or ‘super-real’ would be more accurate as descriptions. Paintings can show us what we never see on stage; Liberti’s paintings show me what it’s possible to think and feel in relation to Shakespeare.”
Articles related: https://shakespeareargentina.org/shakespeares-creative-legacies/
E-book Hamlet The Art of Juan Carlos Liberti published by Fundación Shakespeare Argentina in December 2011
E-book Surreal Shakespeare published by Fundación Shakespeare Argentina in December 2011
Rafael Squirru & Shakespeare
Shakespeare by Rafael Squirru
https://shakespeareargentina.org/en/shakespeare-by-rafael-squirru/
Video related