Wonder Women

Inspiration

I and Agostino Chigi (late nobleman), have had the same inspiration: a certain woman.
She inspired him to congregate many genius painters of his time, in order to concentrate the beauty of art and the glory of love in one place. Villa Farnesina offers voluptuous eruptions of love, starting with Amor and Psyche, ending with Alexander the Great and Roxana. They explode before the eyes and implode within the heart.

Poor heart, what can it do, but burst into fits of joy and inspiration?

The stories about women-wonders, femme-fatales much greater than the courtesan who inspired the beginning of this story, seem eager to be unfolded.

Explanation                                                    

..."How can we understand this self-sufficiency of women? Let us take the case of a femme fatale, usually perceived as a woman who desperately tries to impress men, who masquerades herself in order to be admired by men. But a femme fatale also has a certain ignorance about men, and it is this very ignorance that actually makes her so attractive. Freud pointed out that with this type of woman, as well as with young children, the ignorance is related to the fact that they have not given up on some part of their libido: since other people have lost this libido, they become so attracted to the ones who still retain some of it ("On Narcissism"). The paradox of a femme fatale, therefore, is that she wants to be admired for her beauty, but she is perceived as beautiful precisely because she is also ignorant about the reaction of others towards her. A femme fatale enjoys her own self-sufficiency, which is why we cannot simply say that she needs men as relays to her jouissance. Of course, she wants to catch and hold the gaze of men, but her attraction is linked to the fact that she quickly turns around and shows very little interest in her admirers"...

Renata Salecl, (Per)versions of Love, 1998, NY

These special species, these creative creatures, are but a woman in a literal meaning of the word. Destined to live the destiny of their names to the fullest, these “WoMen” bind the male and female principle in a perfect unison. The rest is history: as in all holy matrimonies between matching male and female, a miracle is born to combine the fluctuations between two extremes in perfect balance and harmony. Being sensitive to the utmost, almost neurotic in their fragility, they are still fearless and brave in their persistence and stability.

The results are impressive: these women go at any length and against all odds to defy all boundaries. They defy the distance gravity (as in the story of Roxana from Persia and Alexander from Macedonia) and even the problem of time and immortality (perfectly illustrated with the story of Amor the God and the mortal Psyche).
However, their greatest achievement for which they are proclaimed immortal by the history is the following: Their mastery over their own thoughts.

Namely, mortal women always tend to follow their thoughts as they surrender to a specific man. Their thoughts travel in order to cover great distances and once they reach the desired destination, they start snuggling, cuddling and huddling with all of their fantasies and live the life of the utmost commodity and abundance. This is not the case with the immortal women. They have a tendency to whip their thoughts, to unleash and restrain them in unkind turbulent cycles, so that in the end, others send their thoughts to them. Indeed, they were mentioned in the thoughts of many a great man which is unprecedented phenomenon.

There have been quite a few Casanova's and Don Juan's, who captured the souls and thoughts of many beauties, throughout the history. But a man who inspired many a great woman, a man who captured the thoughts of these captivating creatures, still remains a mystery.

For more tangible picture, the illustration will follow.

The Icons                                                         

Lou Andreas-Salome

Avid scholar, prolific writer, incisive psychoanalyst. Respected by Freud (for her essay on the anal-erotic), admired by Nietzsche, both professionally (for her work "Hymn to Life") and personally (for the unrequited love), adored by much younger Rilke (for inspiration and passion she infused into his works and life).

Alma Mahler

Composer and Cultural icon. Gifted, but also a gift herself (for composer Gustav Mahler). A talent, who inspired another talent (in writer Franz Werfel). A flame that instigated fire (in painter Oskar Kokoschka).

Clara Schumann

Distinguished musician and professional pianist. Independent and free-spirited. Respected by the most respectful composers of the Romantic era. Loved by the husband Robert Schumann. Admired by the much younger, lifelong companion Johannes Brahms.

Personal Favorites                                          

Marie Curie

Revolutionary scientist, destined to break the existing conventions in the world of science with her ground-breaking discoveries. She was first female scholar to receive professorship at the University of Paris, first female researcher to receive the Nobel Prize, and a first double Nobel Laureate in two basic scientific disciplines, chemistry and physics.
Privately, she influenced the lives of very influential scientists: the famous Polish mathematician Kazimierz Żorawski, the renowned physicist Paul Langevin, and her husband’s, the physicist Pierre Curie.

Despina Kavaeva  [ EXCERPTS]
• Note: The choice is both, unconventional and emotional. Namely, the recent celebration of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, in the heart of Cyril’s hearth (Basilica of San Clemente) raised my awareness about all Slavic missionaries and Despina Kavaeva was certainly one of them.

A woman of great erudition, it is said that she knew over 150 songs by heart and contributed all of them to the famous collection of songs of Brother Miladinov. Born and raised in Struga, she belonged to the Macedonian intellectual elite, interacting with important figures, one of whom, the award-winning writer Gligor Prlichev. She touched his life profoundly and was the inspiration for the character of Maria in the famous poem “O Armatolos”.
She is exceptional in many regards, even within the selected group of women. Namely, she proved dedicated to her call and devoted to one single man, but remained completely independent choosing the secluded live of the monastery.