You see Imperatrix Lylia Rashere the Sorceress.
She appears to be a Faendryl Dark Elf.
She is taller than average and has a slender build. She appears to be in the spring of life. She has wide-set storm grey eyes and alabaster skin. She has waist length, thick auburn hair braided and twisted beneath a tall two-horned hennin draped in sheer black silk. The strikingly smooth transitions between her otherwise angular features lend a distinctly patrician quality to her aspect.
She is in good shape.
She is holding an amber-inlaid russet suede notebook in her right hand.
She is wearing a miniature obsidian amphora bound in silver, a cobweb-fine black reticella wrap, and a black jacquard overgown tightly laced from bust to waist over a full-skirted sapphire silk gown gathered in graceful folds, a ruby and silver wedding band, a dark glaes band forged into a duo of spiraled horns worn on the left ring finger, a silk-lined leather gem pouch, a dark leather survival kit, a slim ki-lin horn stylus bound in silver, and a pair of onyx damask shoes set on slim glaes heels.
Lylia says, "First, allow me to thank Cairnfang Manor for inviting us to talk about Faendryl art. We are delighted to be a part of Solhaven's Grand Art Exhibit and the festivities surrounding it. I say 'we' for, although I am the speaker, many of the Enclave are here with me tonight."
Lylia says, "We are fortunate enough to have art on loan from Ambassador Tredohal Hashier Faendryl, some of which we shall be showcasing tonight via my own sketches of it."
Lylia brushes her fingers lightly against her russet suede notebook.
Lylia confesses, "While I do not know that my own work does the originals justice, it is easier to bring the art to you than to bring all of you to the art, in this case. We do welcome visitors, though, and you will find the original works throughout the Alabaster Spire. By all means, tour the grounds at your leisure."
Lylia says, "The Faendryl Enclave was founded more than a decade ago to celebrate and share our culture with the wider world, and one of the most important ways to understand a people is through their art."
Lylia asks, "So...what purpose does art serve?"
(Lylia waves a hand and paces as she talks, clearly warming to her subject.)
Lylia says, "For some, it is its own end, a way to create beauty from raw stone or pigment. Faendryl artists have always had an eye for symmetry and grace even when our own circumstances as a nation were dire. A world utterly without beauty would be as unthinkable to us as one without magic."
Lylia continues, "Others would say it serves as a faithful record of the world as the artist knows it, a documentary purpose. We can trace sweeping changes and gradual influences through examining shifts in art. It can be one of our best ways to understand and contextualize history."
Lylia says, "Art can even bring about an expansion of consciousness or perception, particularly for those who were undergoing such changes in their new circumstances in the Southron Wastes. The howling wilderness had a profound effect on the erstwhile Elven House, and we still see glimpses of it in some Faendryl work."
Kothos says, "Visual memories..."
Lylia says, "Indeed. Sometimes it is the memory of an entire people, not just of an artist."
Lylia adds, "And of course, some art is meant to provoke a visceral emotional response or ignite a political movement. Propaganda can also be art. Periods of upheaval are often marked by vivid splashes of paint upon plaster as much as blood on the steps of the Basilica."
Lylia says, "Perhaps the best way to describe art is that it as we create it, it helps create us as a distinct culture."
Lylia states, "In other words, individually, we create art; collectively, art creates us."
Lylia places a hand over her heart.
Lylia briskly says, "With that, let us turn specifically to Faendryl art."
Lylia carefully opens her russet suede notebook.
Lylia explains, "The earliest Elven art is, in a sense, Faendryl as well; Old Ta'Faendryl may be ruinous now, but glimpses of its grandeur remain, and art movements throughout our history have looked back to it."
Speaking to Arrec, Henryk asks, "Your face's as smooth as an elven arse. When'd that happen?"
Arrec glances sternly at Henryk.
Lylia says, "We describe such early art as Faendryl Classicism, and --"
Lylia turns her head toward Henryk to favor him with a silent, withering gaze.
Lylia icily continues, "As I was saying. Faendryl Classicism, or also known as Empire Classicism and its variants and offshoots appear regularly in Faendryl culture. You might say it is our oldest artistic tradition, and also one of our most enduring. The earliest examples of it are often wrought in stone and wax, materials that weather the elements."
Lylia says, "Time is a thief of beauty, and ephemeral pieces on parchment or in fragile watercolor washes are lost to us now."
Lylia says, "Perhaps that is one reason that classicism and neo-classicism reappear so frequently. It is an expression of nostalgia for the Second Age, and what distinguishes Faendryl art of this school is its focus on Elven, and specifically Faendryl, glories."
Lylia explains, "While other Elven art depicted the Arkati as beneficent guides and givers, Empire Classicism as a Faendryl art movement, and the subsequent neo-classical revivals it has spawned, revealed an orderly hierarchy with a distinctly..." Lylia narrows her eyes and waves her hand as if summoning the most diplomatic turn of phrase. "Faendryl apex."
Lylia notes, "The mosaic depicted here is a magnificent example of early Empire Classicism."
Lylia adds, "And I should note that the term in Faendryl is 'Imperial Classicism,' but given the Common tongue and the usual associations of the term, 'Empire Classicism' and 'Faendryl Classicism' are preferable."
Phanna nods slowly.
Lylia says, "At any rate, the image is more than what it first appears, a theme that is true of much Faendryl art."
Lylia says, "While it seems to depict a wedding feast, it is also open to allegorical interpretation with the other Elven Houses in attendance of a Faendryl ceremony."
Lylia furrows her brow.
Lylia asks, "Are we having trouble seeing the notebook?"
Lylia sighs, "I should have drawn a larger image."
Phanna diplomatically says, "It looks quite complex and precise."
You embarrassedly say, "The notes with the drawing were unfamiliar."
Speaking to Lylia, Regwen says, "Alas my father didna teach me to read Feandryl."
Darcena asks, "It appeared well drawn, though?"
(Lylia holds up the notebook. In the illustration, a smiling bride in scarlet and her groom in grey sit at the center of an intricate mosaic. The table before them holds a feast, the bright fruits visible even in this reproduction. Each of the attendants wears the colors of a different Elven House, and the image could be an allegory rather than a portrait. Gold threads pick out the chains in the bride's hair, and the revelers' colorful silks are brilliant on the page.)
Lylia confesses, "I left my own notes on the image in Faendryl; it comes naturally to me, after all."
Phanna murmurs, "Quite brilliantly arrayed colors."
Treeva relievedly says, "Oh, that's a much better view, thank you kindly."
Lylia notes, "The provenance of this piece is not known for certain, but its age is evident both in the style of dress and in the presence of the other revelers in their distinctly Elven colors. Also observe the food served; not all of it is familiar today, and it is likely that some cultivars no longer exist, having been destroyed with the Old City."
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
(Lylia holds the notebook aloft again. The image is captioned "Yshryth Silvius Faendryl." This illustration is faithful to the faded pigments in the original fresco. Time has stolen the warmer and more ephemeral hues from this image of a man delivering a speech atop a flight of broad stone steps, casting the scene into a stark chiaroscuro of cold blues and bone white. The central figure commands attention both with his pose and with the slanting light that bathes him. Forced perspective creates a feeling of immense space between the speaker, his rapt crowd, and the pyramidal buildings behind them.)
Lylia says, "And here we see a vivid depiction of a much later point in time, a neo-Classical image of Yshryth Silvius Faendryl's most moving and memorable speech."
Lylia diplomatically says, "It is well known to almost every Faendryl, and certainly to all of us who have grown up in New Ta'Faendryl, but it is a bit too long to cover here, and some of the ideas expressed therein do not translate well into the Common tongue."
Lylia dryly adds, "Much like my lecture notes."
Lylia asks, "Do we have any questions so far? Comments?"
Lylia surveys the area.
Dendum asks, "So...the Faendryl they draw themselves?"
Speaking to Lylia, Ceyrin says, "Your sketch work is very skilled."
Kothos asks, "...that was the one who made treason a capital crime, yes?"
Speaking to Dendum, Lylia says, "Yes, although not exclusively ourselves. Art is a mirror. It is alwso a window."
Yukito signals, "That last one is striking."
Speaking quietly to Lylia, Kothos says, "And yes, you are most detailed in your shading."
Lylia says, "Thank you, but I do not do the originals justice, I feel."
Kothos says, "The clothing and expressions have as much architecture as the buildings."
Lylia says, "I also work too small."
Lylia chuckles.
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
Speaking to Lylia, Darcena says, "You would have had to sketch tent-size in order for this many people to see it all at the same time."
Lylia continues, "This image of Yshryth Silvius Faendryl is the ideal piece to carry us forward to another major art movement, Patriarchal Romanticism, as we see the roots of it in this rather grandiose account of historical events."
Lylia says, "I tend to prefer something more scaled down."
Lylia chuckles.
(Lylia holds the book aloft again, revealing a detailed painting. The painting depicts a Faendryl in full Patriarchal regalia emerging from a swirling grey mist. His red cloak fills the canvas in an array of vivid color and brushstrokes. Its fabric contains subtly rendered images of the six founders of the lesser Elven houses. Giving an illusion of motion, Elven forms are drawn upward with limbs and gazes extended toward the central figure. A pale hand grips the top of the cloak and the other reaches forward.)
Lylia explains, "One of the greatest struggles of Faendryl art and artists is to depict the Patriarch -- or Matriarch, of course -- in ways that both honor the immensity of the ruler's power and accurately reflect historical records."
(Lylia tilts her hands back and forth as if they were the trays of a balancing scale.)
Lylia says, "I am not just speaking of correcting a severe underbite with paint, mind you."
Lylia quickly adds, "Not that that is likely for a Faendryl ruler."
Lylia asks, "No, this is more of a larger metaphysical question: How do you portray the figure with which all of a nation's power inheres? With so much invested in the person of the Patriarch, how do Faendryl artists dare approach with enough reverence?"
Lylia explains, "The answer, for some artists, was to expand the focus from the person of the Patriarch or Matriarch to the surrounding history and literature, infusing these with Patriarchal imagery."
Lylia says, "Larger-than-life sculptures, placement of Patriarchal symbolism throughout an image, and depictions of battle that glorify rulers who may not have been physically present cast a kind of aura about the Patriarchal position, not solely the one holding it."
Lylia adds, "There are some magnificent statues in the Spire that are exemplary of it as well, and I would welcome any interested viewers to visit them there. My small pages could not do them justice."
Lylia notes, "The portrait, by the way, is not part of Emperor Tredohal's collection and is a gift from Silvean Rashere Faendryl to the Enclave."
Lylia says, "Every frame is filled with allegory and allusion, rewarding the viewer with more detail the longer the art is observed. In this way, artists of Patriarchal Romanticism encourage viewers to meditate upon the ruler who always occupies pride of place in these works."
Lylia confesses, "But for all that I love Empire Classicism and Patriarchal Romanticism, the various and often conflicting Iconoclastic movements fascinate me more."
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
(Lylia gazes for a moment at the page and traces the image there with a fingertip before turning it out to show the audience. Wrought in chalk and charcoal, the drawing depicts the bust of a woman wearing a cap with two curved peaks and a veil. The original sculptor managed to shape hard basalt into something as fluid as silk where the veil draped over the woman's cap, but a lesser talent has since removed the statue's original face. Whatever expression she once wore, the Faendryl woman now bears only a vacant stare and pursed lips. The crest at the base of the bust has likewise been defaced to remove identifying details.)
Lylia explains, "Faendryl Iconoclasm is not one movement but many, as fractured and challenging as the art itself can sometimes be."
Kothos says, "An artistic mirror of the bigger society."
Lylia continues, "The Faendryl reverence for their Patriarch or Matriarch contains an essential ambiguity over the relationship between the ruler's metaphysical import and his or her physical self."
Lylia nods at Kothos.
Lylia says, "Just so! And when the entirety of that society is distilled into the person of one Patriarch or Matriarch..."
Lylia says, "Ah, but I could get quite lost in discussing the metaphysical nature of rule and rulers."
Lylia waves her hand in a dismissive gesture.
Lylia says, "I shall save that for the next time someone invites me to natter."
Lylia continues, "Iconoclasm, therefore, refers to two different phenomena, one negative and the other positive. In negative terms, iconoclastic impulses have defaced Faendryl images, and it is entirely possible that images of some Patriarchs and Matriarchs were lost to the mists of time during these periods of strife."
Lylia says, "As a positive phenomenon, concern over representing the Faendryl body has led to distinctive innovations in calligraphy and geometric detail that transcend the physical self entirely."
Lylia explains, "That is, some artists have chosen not to portray Patriarchal grandeur directly but to consider the person of the Patriarch beyond the power of art to convey and instead turn to calligraphy and geometric design that indirectly approaches the subject."
Speaking to Lylia, Kothos says, "An open, eviternal invitation, as far I am concerned."
Lylia says, "And then there is the obverse side of Iconoclastic art..."
Lylia glances at an amber-inlaid russet suede notebook in her hand.
Lylia begins chuckling at Kothos!
Lylia says, "Duly noted."
Lylia inclines her head.
Kothos winks at Lylia.
Lylia says, "Let us turn, then, to this illustration. We do not know who she was, only what face she wears now."
Lylia confesses, "She may also have inspired my headpiece for the evening."
Lylia brushes her fingers lightly against her two-horned hennin.
Lylia speculates, "Was she a missing Matriarch? Unlikely, although she may well have been the head of a renowned household and therefore a matriarch of a different sort. Thus does Iconoclasm sometimes overwrite previous artistic styles, sometimes so frequently throughout the millennia that to see one of these pieces is to discover a palimpsest."
(Lylia drums her fingers on the page as if reluctant to turn it.)
Lylia bites her lip.
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
Lylia says, "Now we come to a challenge..."
Lylia says, "Sorcerous Expressionism."
Lylia says, "Some of it makes my teeth itch."
Lylia smirks as a haughty expression flits across her face.
Lylia says, "The point of art, just like the point of ruling, is not merely to be liked. Sorcerous Expressionism is prickly, arcane, sometimes even pretentious, full of obscurantism for the sake of claiming to be above those who fail to understand it."
Lylia explains, "As sorcery became more inextricably bound to the very fiber of the Faendryl and as a nation was transformed by exile, Sorcerous Expressionism became a way for artists to communicate what they sensed."
Kothos says, "If something leaves an impression that returns to you, the art has done its calling. Even if the feeling or memory is not...pleasant."
(Lylia paces as she talks, pausing only to hold the book aloft again. The ink wash at first seems like an abstract image or even just a stain, but it soon resolves itself into a representation of a glass column. Fluid brushstrokes within the otherwise transparent cylinder reveals veil-like inclusions in the heart of the glass. These shapes distort the light coming through the column, refracting it at strange angles. While the hazy forms in the column's interior leave no recognizable image to the eyes, they might create a distinct tactile impression to anyone phasing the column.)
Speaking to Kothos, Dendum says, "'Dendum still wonders about Boat so boat must have been art."
Phanna murmurs, "How fascinating."
Lylia says, "I say 'sensed' and not 'saw,' for not all Sorcerous Expressionist art can be merely viewed. Some is tactile, and other pieces are meant to be experienced through the use of sorcery itself."
Speaking to Dendum, Kothos says, "Just so."
Lylia says, "Some of these pieces may even come from beyond New Ta'Faendryl, true 'outsider art' from those who populate the Southron Wastes. This is one such piece, and I fear my illustration does not begin to do it justice."
Lylia says, "Others who were not raised in the city might know more of such outsider art than I would."
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
Lylia says, "Another example of Sorcerous Expressionism is...not my favorite. But it bears discussion too, as again, art is not only a matter of liking what we see."
(Lylia hoists the book up with a sigh. Three black panels take up almost the entire page, overlapping margins and nearly pushing the title off the parchment. Each panel is identical both in size and the impenetrable blackness of deeply layered brushstrokes painstakingly duplicated from the original in gouache. Forms suggest themselves as you examine the lines and swirls of the piece, but nothing definite, nothing certain.)
Lylia says, "I cannot tell you how much charcoal I expended on this representation of the work. It is called 'Dawn.'."
Lylia bluntly says, "I hate it."
Speaking to Lylia, Kothos says, "I bet your wrists were little bands of smudge."
Speaking to Lylia, Treeva says, "Well, at least we don't feel obligated to have loved that last one."
Lylia says, "It is an example of one of those obscurantist pieces that I believe some people enjoy for the sake of other people's hatred of it, but...well. It bears showing."
Lylia raises her voice at Treeva in merry laughter.
Lylia exclaims, "No. No obligation at all!"
Lylia quickly exclaims, "Let us move on, then!"
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
Lylia turns to the next page of her notebook.
Lylia says, "Ah, here we are. I enjoyed this one, for a certain definition of the term 'enjoyment.'."
Speaking to Dendum, Lylia says, "I copied it as well as I could, but yes, it is largely blackness."
Lylia says, "The most recent school, not counting resurgences of Iconoclastic upheaval or Neoclassicism, is the Diasporic movement, which itself is divided into Diasporic Symbolism and Diasporic Realism."
Lylia says, "Some disparage it as a representation of chaos itself, the breakdown of a world no longer guided by Faendryl hands, but I find some of it enchanting."
Lylia admits, "I am not certain if 'enchanting' is the word for this one, though..."
Lylia explains, "It is titled 'Icemule.'."
(Lylia gives the book a dubious glance before holding it out for others to enjoy. Painted with vivid realism, you could almost mistake the page for a window just barely separating you from the central subject: three ridiculous halflings. One plunges a tart into his gaping, rotten-toothed maw. A second wipes jelly-jam from his face with pages torn from a book discarded near his feet. The third has an upside-down timepiece in his hand and a robust mid-section tied up with a sash reading "Mayor.")
Henryk reasonably says, "Looks like Icemule."
Lylia says, "I am not certain how I feel about mayoral mockery."
Lylia flashes a quick grin.
Lylia continues, "Much of Diasporic Realism concerns itself with ugly, almost shocking imagery, albeit depicted with eloquence by talented hands."
Lylia says, "Disease, decrepitude, and decay are often featured. Ugliness metamorphosed into beauty by artists who encountered too much of the former and needed an outlet for their dismay."
(Lylia flips the book around and holds it open at shoulder height. Rendered in watercolor and gouache, a lushly overgrown swamp languishes under a misty yellow sky that looks nothing like a sunset. Towering trees festooned with grey beards of moss stand silhouetted against the jaundiced sky, giving the scene a closed in, oppressive quality. Violet and aquamarine shapes move through the mist, and dark foliage crowds the edges of the canvas. As alien as this landscape is, it also has a surreal and compelling beauty.)
Cryheart says, "And here I thought sorceror's mostly expressed themselves by waggling their fingers."
Lylia begins chuckling at Cryheart!
Cryheart says, "Oops..sorry."
Melivn waggles his fingers mystically at Cryheart. How nice.
Speaking to Cryheart, Guarrin says, "That may be due to the amount of Kroderine."
Lylia says, "What we see of sorcery here is the thin blade of the knife. There is so much more to it than what we see edge-on."
Lylia says, "Things are a bit different in New Ta'Faendryl."
Lylia explains, "Some viewers see shapes in the mists, much as Igaeshian readers see symbols in the vapors left by the cloud-like demons that flee their glassy prisons. In that sense, it is symbolic, but in another, it is a purely factual representation of a world Shieltine's Ward does not permit us to see."
Lylia glances at an amber-inlaid russet suede notebook in her hand.
Phanna says, "It is quite dreamy in its ethereal nature."
Lylia says, "A common theme winding throughout much of Faendryl art, you may have noticed, is that sense of the hidden, that which reveals itself more upon further contemplation. It is a unifying theme in much of our art."
Lylia says, "Looking deeper, seeing more -- it is an ambition of a culture, and it shows in our work."
Speaking to Lylia, Regwen says, "Quite moving."
Lylia says, "Thank you for being a marvelously attentive audience."
Lylia gently closes her russet suede notebook.
Speaking in Faendryl, Nazarr says something you don't understand.
Cryheart says, "Some of it hurt my ears, but the concept is fascinating."
Lylia nods at Nazarr.
Lylia places a hand over her heart.
Phanna says, "It was a delightful lecture! Thank you so much for sharing the impressive history of your culture's art with us."
Lylia says, "Are there any questions? Thoughts? Art is not a static presentation but an interaction with its viewers."
Aeith says, "I am deeply impressed by the dimensions of this presentation."
Ordim says, "Thank you, sorry to run out so swiftly."
Speaking appreciatively in Elven to Lylia, Azerik says, "Thank you for the lecture."
Speaking to Aeith, Kothos says, "And the oration skills of the speaker."
Ifanna apologetically drawls, "Pardonnme!"
Speaking warmly to Kothos, Lylia says, "On the contrary, the meaning was clear. Thank you."
Ifanna bobs down and back up in a quick curtsy.
Speaking to Lylia, Dendum asks, ""There have been many Faendryl Matriarchs?"
Speaking to Lylia, Treeva replies, "Yes, please, going back to that whole...Diasphorlic period." She stumbles a touch over the appropriate pronounciation before her voice turns mildly indignant. "Do you really think halflings rip and burn books for their tart making?"
Cryheart says, "Impressive, Lady Lylia."
Lylia says, "Three are officially recorded."
Lylia raises her voice in merry laughter.
Lylia says, "I do not, but I suspect the artists who first encountered a more rustic way of life were quite shocked by it."
Speaking to Treeva, Dendum says, ""Perhapse there is more to painting than meets the eye."
Lylia says, "Believe it or not, some artists also have a sense of humor, and I suspect that one did."
Bristenn slowly observes, "..interesting presentation, otherwise."
Treeva says, "Well, this was a highly enlightening and illuminating--"
Kothos says, "Ivas' Temple is replete with whimsical descriptions of Her spheres. You will note I am not covered with sores or spoiled food."
Lylia smiles wryly and adds, "Perhaps the one who painted 'Dawn' did as well, but it is not humor I appreciate. Big black squares..."
Lylia gazes heavenward.
Speaking to Dendum, Treeva agrees, "Yes indeed, who knows what other horrors were being perpetrated against those books!"
Kothos asks, "Lots of hidden and hinted meanings and perspectives, yes?"
Xorus says, "It is an allegory, perhaps, for democracy."
Kothos says, "That's clever."
Speaking to Xorus, Lylia says, "Says the man who ran a most impressive campaign."
Xorus wryly says, "Look how that turned out."
Speaking to Lylia, Dendum asks, ""Do the Faendryl paint of history they lived in or....do they paint of past things as well?"
Aeith says, "This was an absolute delight. Thank you again, for sharing so much of your knowledge, and for the patrons of this exhibit for hosting."
Lylia exclaims, "Good question!"
Speaking to Dendum, Lylia says, "Many artists, particularly classicists and neo-classicists, turn to moments in history and record them in ink or paint or alabaster."
Aeith says, "Now I must take my leave and get out of these fancy clothes and back into something more natural before they drive me up a tree."
Roelon deeply says, "The art is always amazin' here."
Speaking to Aeith, Arrec says, "Thank you for attending. Yours has become something of a familiar face here of late."
Speaking to Lylia, Darcena says, "Thank you for the wonderfully interesting lecture."
Speaking to Lylia, Thrassus says, "Wonderful presentation, but I must make my exit. Good evening, all."
Juspera says, "I'm smarter now than when I came in."
Lylia says, "I have enjoyed the art I see here, too. Every image a story."
Speaking warmly to Lylia, Phanna says, "Thank you again for agreeing to hold this lecture."
Speaking to Lylia, Regwen says, "Wonder presentation and very good to see ye. Thank ye."
Lylia says, "I am delighted to have had the opportunity."
Speaking to Phanna, Darcena says, "Thank you for all the events you helped schedule."
Speaking to Lylia, Guarrin says, "Thank you for sharing..."
Kothos says, "Everyone, I want to thank the officers of Cairnfang."
Speaking to Lylia, Raelee says, "I do appreciate the addition of something more... academic... to our calendar of events."
Speaking to Phanna, Guarrin says, "And thank the Manor for hosting."
Lylia says, "It is good to see you too. I fear I have been horrifically rude, not acknowledging all my friends as I would like."
Speaking to Raelee, Lylia says, "When you call something academic, Magister, I feel I have been given the highest of praise. Thank you for that, and I am glad you enjoyed it."
Speaking to Lylia, Raelee says, "But of course."