August 30, 2006
Cassandra’s Mistique by Natasha Schon
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Cassandra’s Mistique by Natasha Schon
Who was Cassandra? To put it simply, she is the heroine that has appeared in numerous Greek stories, plays, and poems. In most depictions, she is shown as a prophetess. A woman who can see into the future and tell the world of the outcomes of its actions, be they good or bad.
In many ways, Cassandra’s gift was a burden to her. She predicted the outcome of many disastrous events, such as the dire consequences of the Trojans letting the fabled “Trojan Horse” into their gates. The problem was that Apollo, who had sought Cassandra as a lover and been rebuffed by her, had put a curse on the seer – a curse stating that no one would ever believe her. And in the end, this led to her living a tragic, lonely life.
So what does all this have to do with the pictorial in question, samples from which can be seen to the left? Well, to begin with, the fate of Cassandra was not only tragic, but it was erotic as well. As mentioned above, the God Apollo was so smitten with her beauty, he asked her to be his lover. Full of herself as a young woman, she rejected him, and met her tragic fate, but the fact that Apollo would choose her says something about her beauty.
Further, Cassandra has come, throughout time, to be representative of the many mystical arts practiced by men and woman around the world. One could say, in fact, that she is in many ways the “Patron Saint of Foresight.” All those who attempt to read into the future through various types of magic pay homage to her powers, and they also suffer some of her stigma – rarely are they listened to. The “mystique” we see in this series has its basis in the “mystique” of the beautiful Cassandra.
But the deepest and most sensual way in which this pictorial points back to the amazing Cassandra is through the “foresight” of its images. What we have here are extremely intimate depictions of two beautiful young women. In the close-up photos, all taken in gorgeous high resolution, can be seen “promises of things to come.” These are in a certain sense “women in the process of becoming.” Not yet fully sexualized, and certainly not young girls, these nude beauties show a promise not unlike the process of divination. One can “see the future” in their naked beauty, and one can certainly attest that the future looks good.
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