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Posted by Dain, Sunday, January 06, 2008 1:06 AM (Eastern)
As with Un Bois Vanille, I had a very clear notion which artist would be most appropriate for Arabie, Hieronymus Bosch and the Garden of Earthly Delights, a highly idiosyncratic depiction of what I assume to be sensuality in all its forms.
From a careful distance, it may just be an assault to the eye, but a close examination reveals incredible details, and I was hard pressed to choose just one of them. Bosch's style was that of a miniaturist, thrown together in visual cacophony, so you must go up close before looking on the whole. Arabie has been described as a crowded oriental bazaar, exotic goods and alien tongues—cedar, sandalwood resin, candied mandarin peel, dried figs, dates, cumin, nutmeg, clove, saffron, balsamic resins, tonka bean, siamese benzoin, myrrh, and perhaps a hint of human sweat—but it has the darker frenzy of the black market, only punctuated by the stern presence of cedar and sandlewood. So, I chose the right panel (the center panel has been linked, above), because it is still sensory chaos, but in hell. Why there is a bird-headed demon on a throne with pots on his head and feet, swallowing a man farting birds, I have no idea, though obviously Bosch did. Likewise, Arabie is not a scent you ever really make sense of, but the disorder never feels quite accidental.
I like a more disciplined scent, and my nose keeps seeking a floral to bring some calm to the chaos. Perhaps this would be nice layered with the forthcoming Fleurs d'Oranger.
Labels: perfume reviews, serge lutens
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