The painting is interesting, because, after a recent restauration, it showed many similarities to the "original", making people realize that the French Mona Lisa looked like that because the original colours were somehow altered by the centuries.
The idea of restoring Mona Lisa was always somehow ostracized by the curators, though: first, because cleaning up the varnish stratifications could damage the work, then because the treatment would alter the original colors anyway. Others comments, though, made people think that Mona Lisa would never be restored because now her "dirty look" is what makes her "an icon", and the reason why visitors love it and "recognize" it.
As a last post to the parting year and the first of the new year, I'd like to find some points of contact with the depiction of Nobunaga.
After a new, good share of anime, dramas and manga, I'm kinda resigned to the fact that nobody cares about a realistic portrait of Nobunaga. I dare to say that neither historians and fans could, given how everyone is completely immersed in their own depiction, more or less realistic of this historical figure.
I look at all those scholars studying books written by other people, claiming that they are good as long as they confirm their ideas. I look at all those historians struggle around all those records of obscure temples trying to figure out relationships and identities, making people just more confused, just to go back on their steps months later, claiming that "the old infos" were more accurate.
The "old infos".
How we assume that an old drama is better than a modern one, how an outdated, parodic depiction of Nobunaga is actually more faithful that a modern one trying to fight against such "iconism" that say nothing about the original character, but a lot about the society of the times...
So, I would love to make sure of something with you, my dear and faithful readers: I'm not a scholar, I'm not an historian, as I'm aware that there's a limit to the knowledge of certain issues, expecially now, after centuries of propaganda and Edo mistifications, after thousands of roosters crowing making sure that it's never morning.
I'm not in for a simple regurgitation of known facts that I'm aware being fake in the first place. I'm not in for Nobunaga depicted as some crazy vampire who would make wars because he was possessed by Satan. I'm not in for an old fashioned Nobunaga where all of us could feel in peace with, filled with nostalgy and "the good ol' times" that we never ever lived in the first place.
At the same time, I refuse that "Nobunaga was not all that special, he was just lucky". All that "Yoshimoto was not that great of a warrior, I mean, Sessai did all the deals". And most importantly, I refuse that "Nobunaga did nothing so great, all the daimyos were doing his same things back then", because that's a lie, as long as some events in that foggy history are indeed facts, and they are all about Nobunaga's greatness as an administrator and manager, rather than as a mere warrior.
This new year just started, bringing with itself all the uncertainties and doubts of the previous year.
How I'm going to face this confusion, how I'm going to deal with this fuffa is going to be my very own challenge for this 2022, and a new year's resolution for this tiny blog of mine.
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