Other Techniques: Zichy Mihály
The Tragedy of Man

Monday, November 07, 2011 rezkarcfitness 0 Comments

The Idea to illustrate Madách Imre's 1860 published work was came up in the summer of 1885. In this time the newspapers wrote that Zichy got a two month holiday from the czar, to draw the illustrations for The Tragedy of Man. At the first time he only drawed 15 artworks, which were exhibited in the Műcsarnok in 1886.

One year later in 1888 another gift edition were published with all the 20 drawings. The readership and the citic were also impressed. In spite of illustration were very extensive and popular from the 1850's, this was the first time that Zichy made a series for a hungarian literature.

I. scene In the heaven
Lucifer and God, 1885
drawing charcoal, papír
790 × 503 mm

THE LORD
You there, Lucifer, proudly standing apart,
No word of praise from you? Are you still silent?
Does something in my work, perhaps, displease you?

II. scene Paradise, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

LUCIFER
Ah lovely lady, wait!
A moment I beg to marvel at you.
A pretty pattern of perfections.
Frightened, Adam?

ADAM
Of you, low creature?

IV. scene Egypt, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

SLAVE
My lord, your help!

EVE
It’s no use asking him.
How could one who has never felt our pain
Begin to understand it. The higher the throne
The fainter sounds the cry. Why not call me?
My body covers yours and takes the force
Of every blow.

IV. scene Egypt, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

LUCIFER
Can you feel,
Even as you kiss, a light caressing
Breeze that touches your face, then flies away?
It leaves the faintest coating of fine dust.
Next year you’ll see it gathering in creases,
A century, you plunge your arm in it;
A thousand years, your pyramids are buried;
Great drifts of sand obliterate your name;
Your pleasure gardens fill with cries of jackals;
A race of slaves and beggars roam the desert.

V. scene Athen, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

THE PEOPLE
Long live the leader! Pardon us, my lord!

ADAM
What have you done that you should beg my pardon?
What can the strong require from the weak?
But where’s my wife to greet me, and my child -
Surely no harm can have befallen them?

VI. scene Rome, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

LUCIFER
Wait! I’ll invite a new guest to the party -
Perhaps he will revive your flagging spirits.
Look sharp, you slaves, and show the fellow in,
That man who travels by the light of torches. -
We only want to offer him a drink.
Drink up! To you today, to me tomorrow!

VI. scene Rome, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ST PETER
Forgive rather than curse him, O my daughter,
And I will help you, as will that great God,
The eternal God of blessed charity.
Aspire unto Him - with water now
I wash contamination from your soul,
And cleansed it flies to him. -

VI. scene Rome, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ST PETER
The Lord has hearkened to you. Look around -
Degenerate earth is straining for new birth.

VII. scene Constantinople, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

PATRIARCH
My son, I fear I have no time to deal
With petty things. God’s Glory and my flock
Require my services. I must pass judgment
On heretics like these who sow their poison
And spread like weeds. With fire and sword we prune them
But hell returns them to us every time
With greater strength. If you are truly soldiers
Of Christ why seek the distant Saracen?
Here you’ll find more fearsome foes. Arise then,
Assault their strongholds, root them out, destroy
The old, the women, every girl and boy.

VII. scene Constantinople, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ADAM
Tancred is my name.

EVE
Farewell then, Tancred.

ADAM
Isaura, do not leave me quite so soon
Or you will make me curse the very name
I learned but now when you bade me farewell. -
A minute was too short for such a dream -

VIII. scene Prague, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ADAM
Do I not wear myself out, night and day?
I prostitute my knowledge for your sake,
Polluting it with useless weather forecasts
And drawing up of useless horoscopes.
I hide the truth I recognize at heart
And propagate what I know to be false.

IX. scene Place de la Grève in Paris, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

EVE
Danton, look at this conspirator -
He would have killed you but I killed him first.

X. scene Prague, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

EVE
Be off with you - I see that my suspicions
Were well founded. You dare suggest to me
That I should kill my husband! You think that I,
Your so-called idol, should descend so low?

XI. scene London, 1885
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

EVE
A hanging. We are lucky to be here.
Let’s follow them, it’s such a thrilling sight,
It’ll give me a chance to show the pearls off too.

XII. scene Phalanstery, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ADAM
Lay no hand on her.
A sword lies there and I will teach you how
To use it.

LUCIFER
Stay, you image from a dream!
Feel the decisive power of my hand.

XII. scene Phalanstery, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ELDER
Why should we listen to any more of this,
Take them away, down to the hospital.

XIII. scene In Space, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ÁDÁM
I have perished!

LUCIFER
And so the old lie has triumphed. -
This puppet god can now go into orbit
Like a planet on which new life might evolve
All over again to give me fresh employment. -

XIV. scene Eszkimók, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

ÁDÁM
Are many of you living in this district?

ESKIMO
Oh many indeed, more than I could count
On all my fingers. But even though I beat
My neighbours’ heads in, it is pointless,
New settlers will keep coming, seals are few.
If god you are, I beg you, do this for me,
Let there be less of men and more of seals. -

XV. scene, 1887
drawing charcoal, paper
790 × 503 mm

THE LORD
Man, I have spoken: strive on, trust, have faith!

Images and text source: virgo.bibl.u-szeged.hu, www.jepegrafik.com/archive/zichy/