“She [opera singer Maria
Callas] created what she wanted to be, like many, many, many people in the
business. Marilyn Monroe wasn’t the blonde bombshell when she started. We call
this ‘les femmes du spectacle.’ They know how to create illusion. An artist
uses her own body as a transmitter, as a way to show themselves. The body
becomes an instrument.”— Italian actress Monica Bellucci quoted by Elisabeth
Vincentelli, “Reviving the Aura of a Diva,” The New York Times, Jan. 26,
2023
I had become intrigued by
this quote almost two years ago, but it’s come to the forefront of my
consciousness now with the release of the Angelina Jolie biopic about Callas, Maria.
If anyone understands the artistic creation of illusions in the manner
described by Ms. Bellucci, it would have to be Ms. Jolie, I think.
(The image accompanying
this post, of Maria Callas in her home in Milan, Italy, was taken in 1957 by Federico
Patellani.)
