Notice: This is a provisional version of what – I hope – will become a standing collection of sujets seen in the video for The Weeknd's “The Knowing”. Check back for updates.
I am not affiliated with The Weeknd or XO, neither am I affiliated with Mikael Colombu. I am not an art student. I do not claim 100% accuracy. I do this simply because I like fine arts. I am not looking to generate any profits, neither monetary nor non-monetary ones. English is not my native language and this text is by no means an academic paper. Enjoy the read.
Disclaimer: All photos copyrighted © by their respective owners. Some parts of the following text were taken directly from Wikipedia.
If you're not familiar with the video, watch it.
If you're not familiar with the video, watch it.
Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) is of Ethiopian origin which should explain some of the references that are made in the video. The most obvious one is that the name for the fictional planet Ethio X is derived from Ethiopia.
The video is set in 16311 A.D. If you subtract Abel's age (21) from this figure, you will get his date of birth – 16290 (February 16, 1990).
Haile Selassie I is the man with the beard who you see in the video. He was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He was the heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and Queen Makeda, Empress of Axum. Haile Selassie is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history.
Haile Selassie is revered as the returned messiah of the Bible, God incarnate, among the Rastafari movement. Begun in Jamaica in the 1930s, the Rastafari movement perceives Haile Selassie as a messianic figure who will lead a future golden age of eternal peace, righteousness, and prosperity. wiki/Haile_Selassie_I
In the video you see Haile Selassie leaving a building and being put under arrest in August of 1974. The building happens to be the Kidist Selassie (Holy Trinity) Cathedral. Emperor Haile Selassie I and his consort Empress Menen Asfaw lie buried in the north transept of this very cathedral.
However, in reality the Emperor was arrested in the library of the Jubilee (recently renamed National) Palace in Addis Ababa on the 11th or 12th (not sure here) of September , 1974.
This photograph can be seen in the “Red Terror Martyrs” Memorial Museum. Read here an article that was published in TIME magazine in September 1974: http://www.eastafricaforum.net/2008/09/14/september-12-1974-the-end-of-the-lion-of-judah-from-time-magazine-sept-23-19740/
As shown in the video, Selassie was driven to prison in a VW Beetle. That is the very same type of car that was given to military officers with the rank of Major and Vice Minsters in the cabinet in the early 50s. Almost all of theose cars happened to be light green, except for those given to civilians which were light blue or blue.
Once Selassie was to visit a hospital in Nazareth (now Adama). He arrived in Nazareth by train and was met at the station by hospital staff with three vehicles he could choose among to ride in to the hospital. He declined the VW Bug and took a minibus driven by the photographer of this picture:
Obviously, it was to humiliate him that he was driven away in a blue VW Beetle that day in 1974.
Here you can see pictures of the Jubilee Palace:
A statue of The Lion of Judah which stands near the National Theatre and not far from the National Bank of Ethiopia is shown.
“The Lion of Judah represents Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, crowned November 2, 1930 with the titles King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and Power of the Trinity.”
Moreover, Selassie was keeping lions (and cheetahs) as pets. Allegedly, he had thirty of them, Tojo probably being the most famous one.
http://goo.gl/sC1Nd (News article)
This explains why the lions did not eat Abel's heart in the video.
Also seen in the video is the Church of St. George (or Bete Giyorgis)
The tomb that you see in that sequence is not the one in which Selassie is buried. This is the one:
On a related note, Selassie was crowned in St. George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa.
wiki/St_George%27s_Cathedral_%28Addis_Ababa%29
The moving silhouette you see in the same sequence draws inspiration from the sculptures by Alberto Giacometti. wiki/Alberto_Giacometti
It's not easy to tell which one it is, since he has a whole series of them.
L'Homme qui marche I (The Walking Man I) is the most famous one. It is also the most expensive sculpure in the world. L'Homme qui marche II (The Walking Man II) is a closely related sculpture in the series. Another well-known one is a L'homme qui chavire (The Falling/Staggering Man). More exist. wiki/L%27Homme_qui_marche_I
Later another sculpture by Giacometti is shown. Again, it's difficult to say which one it is but I'm almost sure that we see the Grande tête (Monumental Head)
However, it could also be Buste d'homme (Diego) or Tête de Diego (Head of Diego; Diego was Alberto's younger brother).
Screenshot from the video:
Here's a picture of Giacometti with some of his work
Another sculpture seen in the video looks a lot like Dalí's Homage to Newton (right). With an open torso and suspended heart Dalí's intention was to indicate "open-heartedness," the open head indicates "open-mindedness" — the two very qualities important for science discovery and successful human endeavours.It could also be another sculpture by Dalí called simply Surrealist Newton (left).
Screenshot from the video:
The record 'It's called a heart' by Depeche Mode is shown in the intro. The artwork was designed by Tamara Capellaro.
Also in the intro a photograph of Haile Selassie as a child (back then his name was still Tafari Mekonnen) can be seen.Two more photographs are shown in the intro only for a few split-seconds. In the pictures you see Martin "Doc" McKinney and Illangelo who produced The Knowing. Together with Zodiac and DropxLife they make up The Weeknd's production team and shape his quite unique sound.
Screenshots from the video:
Illangelo's picture is the same that can be seen on a compilation that was released in 09.
The Mache Compilation featured him, 99, and Pierce (Dominic Fabrig). The project was a 2-week experiment in a collaboration between artists from different backgrounds, all hoping to expose each other to new audiences and opportunities. The result was an eclectic style clash of great new music inspired by new movements in Electro, House, Hip Hop, and Disco.
Further listening: doc-mckinney & illangelo & zodiac & dropxlife & 99 & pierce
Further listening: doc-mckinney & illangelo & zodiac & dropxlife & 99 & pierce
You see a centaur (Lamar, XO affiliate) and a minotaur in the video. The possible connection which can be drawn here is that the logo of the Rémy Martin brand is a centaur and some of Rémy Martin's bottlings are labeled as XO (Extra Old). wiki/R%C3%A9my_Martin , wiki/Centaur & wiki/Minotaur
The falling Obelisk shown is very likely the Great Stele in the city of Axum (Northern Stelae Park/Field) which is believed to have fallen and broken during construction.
However, it could also be King Ezana's Stele or the Obelisk of Axum, both of which still stand. wiki/King_Ezana%27s_Stele & wiki/Obelisk_of_Axum & wiki/Axum
During the sequence in which the planet is divided into two new ones, the wiki entry for Jupiter can be seen both on the left and right side. wiki/Jupiter (Composition & Mass)
In Roman mythology Jupiter (the equivalent of Zeus in Greek mythology) was known as a notorious cheater. wiki/Jupiter_(mythology)
It seems, that Mikael Colombu is a fan of the Renaissance and here's why.Albrecht Dürer's Self-Portrait can be seen in the video. Dürer is considered one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance.
Moreover, many elements of the Corinthian Order can be found in the video. It is of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It was during the Reneissance that classical architecture was revived.
For instance, you see Corinthian Columns (Columns with Corinthian Capitals) decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls falling down.
Screenshot from the video:
It is in Ancient Greek architecture that acanthus ornaments appear extensively in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders. These ornaments were also applied to friezes, dentils and other decorated areas. The dentil was the chief decorative feature employed in the bedmould by the Romans and in the Italian Renaissance.
Also shown in the video is the United States Capitol dome. The Capitol was designed by William Thornton who drew his inspiration from east front of the Louvre, as well as the Pantheon of Rome. The latter has been enormously influential in Western architecture from at least the Renaissance on.
However, it should be noted that Thomas Ustick Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, was responsible for designing and adding the central dome. Just like his precursor, Walter was inspired and influenced by the Pantheon of Rome but also other great domes of Europe. Walter paid particular attention to the Pantheon of Paris, St Paul's Cathedral in London, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
wiki/United_States_Capitol , wiki/United_States_Capitol_dome , wiki/William_Thornton & wiki/Thomas_U._Walter
I must admit, though, first I thought it was the Pantheon of Paris that is featured in the video because the coffering on the ceilings look very much alike. wiki/Coffer
However, the window designs differ; compare: US Capitol (rounded windows) & Pantheon of Paris (rectangle windows). In the video you see rounded windows.
Screenshot from the video:
Furthermore, Athena (also known as Minerva – the Roman equivalent) can be found in the video wearing a Corinthian Helmet. wiki/Corinthian_helmet
Screenshot from the video:
Being the goddess of wisdom, Athena is sometimes depicted with an owl – Glaucus. The owl is seen as a symbol of wisdom because the owl is capable of seeing even in the dark and of vigilance because the owl is awake at night.In the video an owl can be seen sitting on the minotaur's shoulder. It is also a symbol used by OVO & XO.
By the way, Athena is also the goddess of Warfare and a speech delivered by Selassie to the United Nations in 1963 was later popularized in a song called War by Bob Marley who was a member of the Rastafari movement.
Another painting, though not from the Renaissance Period, can be seen in the video. It is The Fall of the Damned (conversely known as The Fall of the Rebel Angels) by Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish Baroque painter. Baroque is the period that followed the Renaissance.
Remaining Questions:
1.) Is a little monk/Buddha statue featured in the video? Is it some special statue?
2.) Is a giraffe wearing a uniform featured in the video? What is the Reference?
3.) What is the building that is shown in the very beginning when a stone is broken apart? (It is somewhat reminiscent of the Triumphal Arch of Moscow or the Narva Triumphal Arch) wiki/Triumphal_Arch_of_Moscow & wiki/Narva_Triumphal_Arch
4.) What pieces of architecture are put togethere here?
5.) What is the reference here? Is there a 3rd figure in the sky?
6.) What are the references here?
7.) Did I miss something? Are there any mistakes?
That's all for now. Feel free to comment and point out any mistakes I made and details I left out.
Keep your eyes open. Gather knowledge. Widen your horizons.
Links: mikaelcolombu.com & the-weeknd.com
