Balthasar Klossowski (or Kłossowski) de Rola (February 29, 1908 in Paris – February 18, 2001 in Rossinière, Switzerland), best known as Balthus, was an esteemed but controversial Polish-French modern artist.
Throughout his career, Balthus rejected the usual conventions of the art world. He insisted that his paintings should be seen and not read about, and he resisted any attempts made to build a biographical profile. A telegram sent to the Tate Gallery as it prepared for its 1968 retrospective of his works read: "NO BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS. BEGIN: BALTHUS IS A PAINTER OF WHOM NOTHING IS KNOWN. NOW LET US LOOK AT THE PICTURES. REGARDS. B."
In his formative years his art was sponsored by Rainer Maria Rilke, Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse. His father, Erich Klossowski, a noted art historian who wrote a monograph on Daumier, and his mother Elisabeth Dorothea Spiro (known as the painter Baladine Klossowska) were part of the cultural elite in Paris. Balthus's older brother, Pierre Klossowski, was a philosopher and writer influenced by theology and the works of the Marquis de Sade. Among the visitors and friends of the Klossowskis were famous writers such as André Gide and Jean Cocteau, who found some inspiration for his novel Les Enfants Terribles (1929) in his visits to the family.
Plot
The story is set in Rome around 44 B.C., just after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Octavius, aged 17, who was named heir by Caesar, is challenged by Marc Anthony. A civil war ensues, ending in a showdown between Octavius and Marc Anthony.
Keywords: 1st-century-b.c., ancient-rome, arena, assassination, betrayal, emperor, gladiator, hand-to-hand-combat, julius-caesar, rivalry
Lust, Power and the Epic Battle for Rome
Cicero: He names his nephew.::Camane: Octavius.::Cicero: He's just a boy.::Camane: So was Caesar once.::Cicero: Caesar was a boy, yes. But not every boy is a Caesar.
Camane: Witness the birth of a civil war. An empire is dawning. An empire built on the rage of the mob. It is the mob who will determine the next ruler of Rome.
[Of Caesar]::Cassius: Who ever thought a God would hold so much blood?
[Caesar is dying]::Caesar: Protect him, protect my successor.::Tyrannus: Antony?::Caesar: No. Not Antony. Octavius. My sister's boy. He will save the dream of Rome, Tyrannus. Teach him to fight, teach him to rule.
Cicero: Reason has abandoned this place.
[to Brutus]::Caesar: And you, my child?
Servilia: We must look to the men who will re-build Rome.::Brutus: You mean Cassius and Antony?::Servilia: And you... why not you, my son?
[Antony's speech about Caesar]::Brutus: What is he doing?::Cassius: Oh this isn't about Caesar's rein; it's about Antony's!
[On hearing Octavius is Caesar's heir the mob chant his name]::Brutus: Octavius?::Cassius: It is not to Caesar to anoint his successor!::Brutus: They're calling his name...::Cassius: Do you think I can't hear?
Caesar: Look at you, Brutus... A model senator! The army wouldn't recognize you...::Brutus: I've fooled them all.
Barbara: [to Ophiria, after defeating Muriela in a duel] My loins are aflame with the fires of lust! Bring me her man!...