Fascinum (Triptych)

Fascinus is the phallic god,--god as phallus. The vestal virgins, rarely known for such irony, worshiped this deity. Charms were fashioned from the image of its member in order to ward away evil eyes. The fascinum formed the leading edge of reveling crowds as they set upon their bacchanal. Since much magic made use of this divine organ, it came to be associated with spellcraft, and thus the English word “fascinate” derives from its root. The etymology of “fascinus” is uncertain, but it seems likely that it shares a source with the Latin term, “fasces.” (Both probably have some relation to “fas,” the designation for divine law.) While “fasces” literally signifies “a bundle [of sticks],” as the Roman hierarchy evolved, the term became associated with symbols of power, especially the stylized rod (with ceremonial axe-head) carried by secular prelates. In later centuries, Italian peasants formed bands of “fasci,” in order to accomplish less than legal political maneuvers. The dictator, Benito Mussolini, adopted the term as the name for his movement. 

In this triptych, phallic fascism sutures the otherwise impossible dialectic of Dionysus and Apollo. On one side, a vestal virgin carries her flaming fascinum forward, arching into divine madness; on the other, an antithetical artist lusts for his lyre. Like comic book lovers, lost, each artifice remains imprisoned within its panel. Fascinated, enchanted…cursed by a longing permanently beyond reconciliation. This is the sacred nom du père, imposed by some brutal steel knob, and inscribed with a barely legible code: “Shut.” 

March 2024

The discussions of the vestal virgins, the evil eye, and spellcraft are based upon the "fascinum" entry from William Smith's DICTIONARY OF GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES (Little Brown and Company, 1865). All etymologies are either constructed through pure speculation, or derived from THE COMPACT EDITION OF THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (Oxford University Press, 1971) and THE BARNHART CONCISE DICTIONARY OF ETYMOLOGY (Harper Collins, 1995). Since I am not fluent in Latin, Emile Benveniste's DICTIONARY OF INDO-EUROPEAN CONCEPTS AND SOCIETY (Hau Books, 2016) was an invaluable resource, and directed my attention to the meaning of "fas." Dionysus and Apollo appear in Friedrich Nietzsche, THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY OUT OF THE SPIRIT OF MUSIC (Penguin, 1993) and "nom du père" appears throughout the work of Jacques Lacan.  

Cyanotype on cotton fiber paper mounted on wooden panels, tea toned.

Three panels. Each panel is 9"x12"x1.5"