Three Bacchanalias (USA, 2024)

3 Bacchanalias 1.pdf

Story: Through the lens of three masterpieces by great artists of the past — Titian, Poussin, and Velázquez — who each painted their interpretation of the “Bacchanalia,” we trace the shift in human perception from the Golden Age to modern times. This shift reinforces a sense of historical pessimism. Simply put, over time, humanity seems to have lost even the art of drinking.

In the past, intoxication with wine created harmony between humans and the universe, uniting people, gods, and nature into a single cosmos. As history unfolds, this magic dissipates; the celebration of wine devolves into a banal drinking spree. Where once the “cosmic order” was celebrated, today’s discourse surrounding wine focuses on the “problem of alcoholism.” Chaos and fragmentation of world perception replace cosmic unity.

Titian depicts people still capable of connecting with the divine. In Poussin’s work, this ability is already lost to humanity, and the true magic of the wine festival remains accessible only to the gods. Velázquez, in turn, portrays people who have entirely severed their bond with the divine cosmos, leaving only a hollow, spiritless materiality in its place.