ARS BUCOLICA

Borders are often hard to define in any field and, of course, in art.

Thus pagan themes soon crossed frontiers, even rising to become genuine symbols of Christianity: the pastoral theme, with the figure of Christ as the Good Shepherd, becomes a true cornerstone of Christian bucolic imagery. And that popular figure of Christian art, the shepherd, is always accompanied by the flute.

One flute and hundreds of flutes (the recorder and those of the organ) will unfold, in sound, an entire landscape of shepherds, nights, nymphs and sirens: Vivaldi, Bach, Van Eyck, Barsanti…