Commedia dell'Arte in Crimea 2012

Arsen Savadov's 'Commedia dell'Arte in Crimea' presents us with a striking juxtaposition of symbols. We see harlequins, figures born in the Italian Commedia dell'Arte, known for their wit and agility, standing alongside ballerinas. The harlequin suit itself, with its checkered pattern, is a visual echo of chaos and order intertwined, hinting at a world where comedy dances with tragedy. The image evokes a sense of playfulness, but the somber tones and the juxtaposition of life and death, underscored by the presence of burial objects, hint at deeper, perhaps unsettling themes. Consider the cyclical nature of these characters: harlequins resurface in Picasso's paintings, embodying the artist's own sense of alienation and transformation. Similarly, the ballerina, a symbol of grace, appears in Degas' work, yet with an underlying sense of melancholy. These motifs, passed down through history, evolve, reflecting our collective subconscious.