Lecture Reveals Fantastic Visions of Fear and Folly at Foosaner Art Museum Jan. 26
MELBOURNE, FLA. – Artistry and literary works intersect in a new exhibition at the Foosaner Art Museum, Fear and Folly: The Visionary Prints of Francisco Goya and Federico Castellon, which opens Jan. 14 and runs through March 18.
Enriching the exhibition, John Christopher Frongillo, Ph.D., will give the lecture, Text & Image: Castellon’s Fantastic Vision of Poe’s Masque of the Red Death on Jan. 26. The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Harris Auditorium.
Frongillo is liberal arts academic program chair for Florida Tech Online and assistant professor of humanities at Florida Institute of Technology. With a specialty in English literature from Vanderbilt University, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees, Frongillo has taught at the University of Central Florida, Louisiana State University and Vanderbilt University. His research deals with literary adaptation, media studies and early modern English drama, especially Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.His illustrated lecture will include the social and cultural contexts of 1968, the year the lithographs were published, notes on the elements of carnival and a close reading of Poe’s short story.
Technically and artistically, the images Castellon created for The Masque of the Red Death are among his most remarkable accomplishments. Long an admirer of Edgar Allen Poe, he chose the author’s classic tale of horror when offered a commission in 1969 by Aquarius Press of Baltimore. Rather than confining himself to the role of illustrator, Castellon responded to Poe’s work as a kindred spirit. While keeping the spirit of Poe’s story, Castellon’s imagery is very much the product of his own fertile imagination.
The Fear and Folly exhibition is organized by the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Also in support of the exhibition, on Saturday, Feb. 18, Janis Tomlinson, Ph.D., will give the illustrated lecture, Goya: In His Own Words, exploring the life and works of the artist through his art, his writings, and his friends’. The lecture begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Harris Auditorium.
The Foosaner Art Museum is located at 1463 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Its hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Sunday 1-5 p.m. General admission is $5; $2 for seniors, children and students with I.D.; free for museum members, Florida Tech faculty, staff and students with I.D. Thursdays are free for everyone.
Special rates and tours are available for groups of eight or more. For more information, call (321) 242-0737 or visit http://www.foosanerartmuseum.org/.
