Partanar / Partanaria
(EDIT!: The Name For This Profession Has Been Changed To Partanar As The Conlang Has Developed. ALL Details Still Apply! We Will Simply Need Time To Change The Actual Text!)
It was told to us once that the Greeks were poets but the Romans were engineers.
You would gladly read an Engineer's Poetry!
But you might not be so interested in crossing a river on a Poet's Bridge. The Partanaros Is The Engineer who makes poetry, the sculptors of the finest and most exact statues and the artists of the highest illustrations of anatomy and capturers of motion in the realest aspect.
Ta Partaneria, LOOSELY translated to "The Pornographers," are artists who specialize in the illustration of the body, both in artistic and medical reference. Whilst particularly rare, the Partaneros is responsible for MOST illustrations in medical texts and manuals the empire over. Most of the greatest and most well detailed statues at the capital are made by Partaneria and near all prospects of beauty and decor must be run by... at least someone with some degree of the same skills and detail orientation as a Partaneros. Kanda is a rigid, structured and spartan sort of culture; finding most of their "Beauty" in the works of well constructed civil systems, perfect grids and an abundance of squared off buildings made of stone and mortar, all looking identical and following the same templates! For this it can be understood how they would shun more traditional arts.
Partaneria are thus not rare because of their skills but rather their inclination. The Partaneros is a specialist in infrastructure and construction, generally a Civiandus, who has dedicated themselves to the study of anatomy and artistry; often driven by weeks upon months of looking at the same empty white stone walls and driven to draw something on them or shape sections of them into masculine warrior bodies or the naked bodies of water nymphs. (The Usual!) As with any artists in such a rigid, well regimented society, however, Partaneria have a high standard to play to and often they drop out of the profession quickly enough under pressure of their own criticism. All details must be perfect, any statue must look so true to life that people could mistake it to be about to move. Every individual wrinkle, facial crease, fat roll and bulging vein MUST be present and possibly emphasized. EVERY work that imitates life MUST be perfect in every foreseeable way and the Kandia have a long history of otherwise seeking "Artistic Perfection" in all art.
Despite not being very common, Partaneria are extremely popular individuals, as The Kandia love truly good art beyond almost all other earthly pleasures and many lower Kandia noble families have long histories of collecting and commissioning great works of historical and cultural significance on their estates for their own personal enjoyment.
You would gladly read an Engineer's Poetry!
But you might not be so interested in crossing a river on a Poet's Bridge. The Partanaros Is The Engineer who makes poetry, the sculptors of the finest and most exact statues and the artists of the highest illustrations of anatomy and capturers of motion in the realest aspect.
Ta Partaneria, LOOSELY translated to "The Pornographers," are artists who specialize in the illustration of the body, both in artistic and medical reference. Whilst particularly rare, the Partaneros is responsible for MOST illustrations in medical texts and manuals the empire over. Most of the greatest and most well detailed statues at the capital are made by Partaneria and near all prospects of beauty and decor must be run by... at least someone with some degree of the same skills and detail orientation as a Partaneros. Kanda is a rigid, structured and spartan sort of culture; finding most of their "Beauty" in the works of well constructed civil systems, perfect grids and an abundance of squared off buildings made of stone and mortar, all looking identical and following the same templates! For this it can be understood how they would shun more traditional arts.
Partaneria are thus not rare because of their skills but rather their inclination. The Partaneros is a specialist in infrastructure and construction, generally a Civiandus, who has dedicated themselves to the study of anatomy and artistry; often driven by weeks upon months of looking at the same empty white stone walls and driven to draw something on them or shape sections of them into masculine warrior bodies or the naked bodies of water nymphs. (The Usual!) As with any artists in such a rigid, well regimented society, however, Partaneria have a high standard to play to and often they drop out of the profession quickly enough under pressure of their own criticism. All details must be perfect, any statue must look so true to life that people could mistake it to be about to move. Every individual wrinkle, facial crease, fat roll and bulging vein MUST be present and possibly emphasized. EVERY work that imitates life MUST be perfect in every foreseeable way and the Kandia have a long history of otherwise seeking "Artistic Perfection" in all art.
Despite not being very common, Partaneria are extremely popular individuals, as The Kandia love truly good art beyond almost all other earthly pleasures and many lower Kandia noble families have long histories of collecting and commissioning great works of historical and cultural significance on their estates for their own personal enjoyment.
Career
Qualifications
Partaneria need to understand how paint, stone, metal and weathering work to understand how best to preserve their works and how and where to present them. Therefor, almost all Partaneria are accomplished Civiandus before they begin their lives of artistry and anatomy.
However, as with all Civiandia, A Partaneria needs to have a stellar attention to detail, careful hand, an eye for visibility and an understanding of templates, standards and measurements. The EXCEPTION to this is what Kanda typically entitles Daughter Of Partaneria.
Many Civiandia who become Partaneria end up having quality careers and large families. Even in Kanda it is understood that women have an aptitude for artistry and detail. Therefor many Daughters of Partaneria learn from very young how to paint, sculpt, carve, measure and otherwise dedicate themselves to the arts with no societal stigma. A father that has made his livelihood from the arts more often than not sees a daughter as just as much a student of the family trade as a son! Sometime An Aging Partaneros will even shirk tradition by leaving much of their estate to a particularly talented granddaughter or well accomplished daughter who has expanded the family name.
"Daughter Of Partaneria" is therefor a title that the legal structure of Kanda accepts as functionally a Partaneros and Daughters to those with the title may also carry the title, provided they make a public profession as a Partaneros.
However, as with all Civiandia, A Partaneria needs to have a stellar attention to detail, careful hand, an eye for visibility and an understanding of templates, standards and measurements. The EXCEPTION to this is what Kanda typically entitles Daughter Of Partaneria.
Many Civiandia who become Partaneria end up having quality careers and large families. Even in Kanda it is understood that women have an aptitude for artistry and detail. Therefor many Daughters of Partaneria learn from very young how to paint, sculpt, carve, measure and otherwise dedicate themselves to the arts with no societal stigma. A father that has made his livelihood from the arts more often than not sees a daughter as just as much a student of the family trade as a son! Sometime An Aging Partaneros will even shirk tradition by leaving much of their estate to a particularly talented granddaughter or well accomplished daughter who has expanded the family name.
"Daughter Of Partaneria" is therefor a title that the legal structure of Kanda accepts as functionally a Partaneros and Daughters to those with the title may also carry the title, provided they make a public profession as a Partaneros.
Career Progression
Almost all Partaneria start out as Civiandia; the all encompassing and extremely important civil engineer and architect of Kanda. Most Partaneria even spend years or decades toiling at the position of Civiandus whilst fiddling with personal works and arts in the background during their spare time in the evenings.
Every now and then, however, A Lord or otherwise interested party will happen upon these works and the Civiandus will be consulted. Naturally MOST Civiandia work very hard to keep such things secret but, if their secret hobbies are particularly impressive, the interested party might well commission an art piece from them.
From here on out it is very touch and go!
It is entirely normal for a Civiandus to simply turn down these commissions for as many as five years, instead preferring to perfect what skills they have and continue on their normal work life until the demands that they lend their hand to the arts become so insistent and numerous that they simply cannot ignore them anymore. They then go out on "The First Commission!"
The Civiandus will spend weeks or even months on this commission, regardless of the medium; often throwing out and/or entirely repurposing the first iterations for the sake of seeking "Opening Perfection."
Only after the Civiandus is completely satisfied with every single facet of their work, regardless of what it is, do they finally release it to the commissioner! From thereon out The Civiandus can feel free to open themselves to other Commissions and, upon having completed ten commissions, is culturally obliged to call themselves a Partaneros INSTEAD of a Civiandus.
Many Partaneria might well remain in their original profession for some years, continuing their art as a hobby but eventually all Partaneria that do not give up and return to their previous professions in shame end up consistently moving forward through the ever evolving hierarchy of artistic experts throughout the Empire. Beyond That The Partaneros Is A Position That Has No Official Ranking System, Special Limitations Or Requirements!
It Is Simply The Official Title Of Callings Oneself "A Professional Artist"
Every now and then, however, A Lord or otherwise interested party will happen upon these works and the Civiandus will be consulted. Naturally MOST Civiandia work very hard to keep such things secret but, if their secret hobbies are particularly impressive, the interested party might well commission an art piece from them.
From here on out it is very touch and go!
It is entirely normal for a Civiandus to simply turn down these commissions for as many as five years, instead preferring to perfect what skills they have and continue on their normal work life until the demands that they lend their hand to the arts become so insistent and numerous that they simply cannot ignore them anymore. They then go out on "The First Commission!"
The Civiandus will spend weeks or even months on this commission, regardless of the medium; often throwing out and/or entirely repurposing the first iterations for the sake of seeking "Opening Perfection."
Only after the Civiandus is completely satisfied with every single facet of their work, regardless of what it is, do they finally release it to the commissioner! From thereon out The Civiandus can feel free to open themselves to other Commissions and, upon having completed ten commissions, is culturally obliged to call themselves a Partaneros INSTEAD of a Civiandus.
Many Partaneria might well remain in their original profession for some years, continuing their art as a hobby but eventually all Partaneria that do not give up and return to their previous professions in shame end up consistently moving forward through the ever evolving hierarchy of artistic experts throughout the Empire. Beyond That The Partaneros Is A Position That Has No Official Ranking System, Special Limitations Or Requirements!
It Is Simply The Official Title Of Callings Oneself "A Professional Artist"
Payment & Reimbursement
The Partaneros is allowed to charge whatever they will for their commissions and because of this it is common to see Partaneros live very lavish lifestyles, being in low supply and extremely high demand. Moreover, Partaneria are consistently looking to follow the money, often scrapping present commissions or leaving them on the shelf for years at a time whilst chasing after larger, more lucrative and politically motivated commissions and otherwise falling out of inspiration with pre-existing works in preference of others. While this means that they are well paid and highly sought after, it also means that many Partaneria live off of payments for works of art they may never even have the intention of finishing.
Other Benefits
While Partaneria are not, by themselves, particularly well paid in benefits or sidelong advantages simply by being artists, their inherent lack of presence means that they will attract incredibly wealthy and sometimes highly affectionate commissioners. The Kandia find the life of an artist to be an extremely romantic one and many Partaneria find themselves leaving bastards behind in all sorts of communities they never again intend to visit. Often well reputed Partaneria are invited to all manner of feasts and festivals. They are regularly invited to higher occasions of courtly affairs and often make fast friends with certain more interested lords and ladies and generally can find a place to stay in any estate or manor so long as they don't leave before painting something on the wall of the grand hall!
Perhaps more importantly still, This sort of lifestyle ends up literally leaving the seal and personal work of that particular Partaneros in plain view for all to see, spreading their social credit, fame and good reputation on the literal walls and gates of their clients and advertising to anyone who is potentially interested. Indeed the Partaneros probably has the best benefits in all of the land when it comes to personal advertising rights, as their works are often highly showcased and their names strongly attached to such craftsmanship. Many commissioners of the highest Partaneria go out of their way to have plaques made and placed at the base of these works honoring the artists and their service to the family.
Perception
Purpose
The Partaneros makes art, both out of existing things and from scratch; Paintings, Structures, Sketches, Carvings, Reliefs, Tapestries, Landscaping, Murals, Sconces and any other decorative and artistic venture you could think of.
The Partaneros takes the rigid structure and spartan lifestyle of the average Kandia and adds relaxation, beauty and a feeling of home to the many standardized structures of the Empire. They visualize beyond mere structure and function and add form and color to something whilst ensuring that its general use is not only intact but enhanced! Often the best of their works include specialized sculptures that stabilize the buildings they're built into or against, long rafter displays that use composite building methods to better hold up roofs and Geometric additions to older aqueducts to make them more stable and able to greater volumes. They could be best known in the modern sense as "Structural Artists" that do strictly artistic ventures on their off-time or for suitable payment.
Social Status
Partaneria are simultaneously thought of as both highest in culture and completely horrible to spend any time with.
Having come from the structured and regimented lifestyle of the Civiandus, most Partaneria have a ready understanding of any building that they walk into, able to often tell the layout just from an outside glance based on their knowledge of the many structural templates that Kanda uses to build their society ever outward. From there it can be assumed that a Partaneros already has ideas for one's home, workshop, Kitchen, Stables or literally any other structure they walk into before they ever meet the lord of the house.
This very specific and personalized set of ideas will shape and guide the actions of the Partaneros in an incredibly opinionated manner that often grates on most clients. The Partaneros will always insist that they know what is best, that this, that or the other thing will never do, what needs to go, what needs to stay and what needs to be moved in to replace that which is being moved out. They generally have no care for the sentiment of others and, because they often leave jobs half finished to chase other commissions of greater notoriety, they have a series of names that people have given them over the years that are less than savory. The Most common names for them refer to unfinished paintings like "Blotches" and "Smears" in reference to murals that they leave half finished, only possessing of the first few layers but never having had any detail or outline added to them, leaving entire walls covered in blotches and smears.
Suffice to say that their social status in Kanda, whilst certainly high, is complex and is not always regarded highly by those who have dealt with their kind before.
This very specific and personalized set of ideas will shape and guide the actions of the Partaneros in an incredibly opinionated manner that often grates on most clients. The Partaneros will always insist that they know what is best, that this, that or the other thing will never do, what needs to go, what needs to stay and what needs to be moved in to replace that which is being moved out. They generally have no care for the sentiment of others and, because they often leave jobs half finished to chase other commissions of greater notoriety, they have a series of names that people have given them over the years that are less than savory. The Most common names for them refer to unfinished paintings like "Blotches" and "Smears" in reference to murals that they leave half finished, only possessing of the first few layers but never having had any detail or outline added to them, leaving entire walls covered in blotches and smears.
Suffice to say that their social status in Kanda, whilst certainly high, is complex and is not always regarded highly by those who have dealt with their kind before.
Demographics
Because of the tenuous and highly critical nature of art, there aren't many Partaneria to go around in The Empire and they tend to flit about from one end of the territory like the wind at random intervals, ensuring that nobody can be certain where the bests artists are or when they will be in the area. Perhaps there is a festival of love occurring in Ta Geta. That means that there might be no Partaneria around the Eldin Border for months and it will be expensive to pull one back toward the capital. On the contrary, perhaps there was a great and powerful omen of hard luck throughout the creatives and so a hyper competitive subculture has formed in the Empire's artists and they can be found in every community trying to make a better name for themselves.
At the same time the number of them throughout the whole of the empire changes regularly!
A new generation of young, bright eyed Civiandia might throw off the shackles of convention and seek to expand on the many arts and flood the Empire with new, enterprising and hopeful Partaneria who will gladly travel far and wide to make even the smallest of artistic pieces only for those same Partaneria, jaded and beaten down by the life of a starving artist five years later, to return to their old lives and take over half of the artistic community with them in an apathetic surrender to the death of artistic prowess in the day and age which leaves the empire nearly devoid of proper artists for half a generation.
As with so many things in the world of art, how many Partaneria are around and how available they are changes with the seasons, possibly even the wind.
History
In The Beginning The Builder Of Cities And The Mother Of The Arts reigned over very different fields and they were considered rather sexually stratified.
The Mother Of The Arts taught young women of weaving, painting, braiding, dying, preserving as well as cooking and preserving alongside the Bringer Of Fertility's Apprentices.
The Builder Of Cities made the position of Civiandus and maintained a rigid sense of tried and true engineering the likes of which would last millennia! At some point The Builder Of Cities noticed a... distraction in the minds of some of his apprentices and queried them about their thoughts.
Some thought that this building or that require a bit extra. Others thought that everything was, of course, just as it should be but at the same time they felt that there should be something without necessary meaning. Some merely wanted to make these new and powerful fortress-like houses more like protective, familial homes.
The Builder Of Cities understood this intimately and turned to The Mother Of The Arts to speak to them personally... to train them in the finer arts atop their already masterful understanding of architecture. In time these Civiandus became the highest sculptors and artists, eventually leaving their positions as builders and administrators and becoming full time creators!
At first they were roughly assigned to communities by the Founders but after the Founders departed to tend to matters in other lands and possibly other worlds the Kandia slowly loosened any regulations on the Partaneria and they became openly available, freely traveling producers of high culture and high art; always welcome in high society!
The Mother Of The Arts taught young women of weaving, painting, braiding, dying, preserving as well as cooking and preserving alongside the Bringer Of Fertility's Apprentices.
The Builder Of Cities made the position of Civiandus and maintained a rigid sense of tried and true engineering the likes of which would last millennia! At some point The Builder Of Cities noticed a... distraction in the minds of some of his apprentices and queried them about their thoughts.
Some thought that this building or that require a bit extra. Others thought that everything was, of course, just as it should be but at the same time they felt that there should be something without necessary meaning. Some merely wanted to make these new and powerful fortress-like houses more like protective, familial homes.
The Builder Of Cities understood this intimately and turned to The Mother Of The Arts to speak to them personally... to train them in the finer arts atop their already masterful understanding of architecture. In time these Civiandus became the highest sculptors and artists, eventually leaving their positions as builders and administrators and becoming full time creators!
At first they were roughly assigned to communities by the Founders but after the Founders departed to tend to matters in other lands and possibly other worlds the Kandia slowly loosened any regulations on the Partaneria and they became openly available, freely traveling producers of high culture and high art; always welcome in high society!
Operations
Tools
Brushes, Hammers, Chisels, Measuring Tools and Special Soft Hammers that are made to sense the density of stone for sculpting are all necessary things to the Partaneros in their day to day! Almost all commissioners either want a painting or a sculpture so these have grown to become something that no Partaneros is ever found without, at least if they are worth their own title.
While perhaps some might think that the Partaneros is therefor not dealing with a terribly complex kit of tools you would, however, be very wrong!
While a hammer is often just a hammer it is said that some Partaneria have entire collections of fine chisels of different size, shape, sharpness and grade of steel and not just one will do for any given sculpture! Many Partaneria have a half a dozen driving hammers of wood, metal of different varieties and even animal bone, insisting that every substance has and makes a different feel! Finally, the soft hammers that Partaneria use are actually unique to the profession, having been made by certain Civiandia over a thousand years ago who found breaking into the profession to be too difficult without the ability to tell the thickness and density of a slab of rock or a pillar of marble; needing to invent an entirely new tool to give them the chance to select better stone for better art!
Suitably, these Partaneria Hammers are made specifically by the professionals and sold at high prices. A good Partaneros often has dozens of these different hammers, tempered and designed to sound out the thickness and density of all manner of stone from separated pillars of marble to slabs of granite to stone chunks still in the mountainside, meticulously picked for just such a commission.
With these special hammers a Partaneros with ample training and experience can easily pick out prime objects in the quarry and ensure that the miners and masons do not damage them.
While a hammer is often just a hammer it is said that some Partaneria have entire collections of fine chisels of different size, shape, sharpness and grade of steel and not just one will do for any given sculpture! Many Partaneria have a half a dozen driving hammers of wood, metal of different varieties and even animal bone, insisting that every substance has and makes a different feel! Finally, the soft hammers that Partaneria use are actually unique to the profession, having been made by certain Civiandia over a thousand years ago who found breaking into the profession to be too difficult without the ability to tell the thickness and density of a slab of rock or a pillar of marble; needing to invent an entirely new tool to give them the chance to select better stone for better art!
Suitably, these Partaneria Hammers are made specifically by the professionals and sold at high prices. A good Partaneros often has dozens of these different hammers, tempered and designed to sound out the thickness and density of all manner of stone from separated pillars of marble to slabs of granite to stone chunks still in the mountainside, meticulously picked for just such a commission.
With these special hammers a Partaneros with ample training and experience can easily pick out prime objects in the quarry and ensure that the miners and masons do not damage them.
Materials
The Partaneros doesn't merely use paint but often make their own paint and are very serious about its quality, ingredients and process of manufacture. Sometimes they come into the possession of hundreds or even thousands of different paints of various color, shade, hue and gloss, of which only the owning Partaneros knows the true inventory therein. Some Paints are discarded and relegated to the back of the shelf for the rest of time where others are freely mixed and experimented with and sometimes even recreated in the Personal style of the Partaneros in question.
Not just paint but stone is the name of the game for Partaneria!
Marble, Slate, Granite and all manner of other stones are highly sought after by Partaneria, sometimes the artist traveling to quarries themselves and picking the specific slabs or chunks of rock right out of the mountain face. Lumber, whilst perhaps not the most common medium, is hardly unknown and many Partaneria have specific types of lumber they prefer to work with, even based on location as well; sometimes preferring ash or oak or whatever sort of Lumber they find most easy or satisfying to use.
Marble, Slate, Granite and all manner of other stones are highly sought after by Partaneria, sometimes the artist traveling to quarries themselves and picking the specific slabs or chunks of rock right out of the mountain face. Lumber, whilst perhaps not the most common medium, is hardly unknown and many Partaneria have specific types of lumber they prefer to work with, even based on location as well; sometimes preferring ash or oak or whatever sort of Lumber they find most easy or satisfying to use.
Workplace
The Partaneria Workshop is one of dust and shavings of stone and wood and constantly rolled up scrolls and plans sitting all over the place much like any good artist's workshop! They are generally stuffy, not terribly well lit and crowded. All around generally lay half finished works, lumps of stone and half carved logs and jars of paint sitting around countless easels.
Many tables might be put up with all manner of blueprints and plans lain out upon them. Some things could possibly be hanging from the ceiling and there might even be a small forge to smith works of metal to accent their works of beauty! Despite the obvious chaos of the creative process and the fact that every Partaneros must have a very different looking workshop every one of them fully understands almost everything about their workshops and where everything is!
Many tables might be put up with all manner of blueprints and plans lain out upon them. Some things could possibly be hanging from the ceiling and there might even be a small forge to smith works of metal to accent their works of beauty! Despite the obvious chaos of the creative process and the fact that every Partaneros must have a very different looking workshop every one of them fully understands almost everything about their workshops and where everything is!
Provided Services
Almost exclusively the Partaneria of Kandia provide artistic commissions, though it is not entirely impossible to find one who is hard on their luck that will once again lower themselves to their previous profession of Civiandus if the time comes and opportunity knocks at just the right price.
More properly a Partaneros might sculpt a bust or full body sculpture of the lord of an estate, paint a mural of a recent battle or festival in a public space, make a portrait of a local ruler, update and stylize a building, (Normally a Home) decorate the interior of a manor with the help of the Lady of The House, Add flair to dining rooms and open kitchens to impress rival leaders, construct appealing but still functional defensive additions to a City's Walls, design and install fanciful fountains, finish the outside of temples and any other physical artistic venture you might think requires no small amount of skill!
While this serves as the baseline for the services the average Partaneros offers it is also important to remember that every one of them is a very different, highly complex individual with their own ideas and specialties so there is hardly anything that you can't find one to create, so long as it appeals to their artistic desires!
Dangers & Hazards
Whilst there is nothing necessarily dangerous about the job of Partaneros except perhaps to have your marble statue fall on you... MAYBE poisoning from something in your paint... the life of an active Partaneros is full of dangers and hazards the likes of which have NOTHING to do with art and EVERYTHING to do with the life of an artist.
In an attempt to find inspiration, many Partaneria find their way into the arms of lovers that are already taken, wander into dangerous vistas just to draw them and attend all sorts of events that call for cutthroat political schemes and potential assassinations.
As if that weren't bad enough, the flighty nature of the oft Irresponsible Partaneros is responsible for no lack of annoyed commissioners who have paid handsomely for a work and, in their displeasure at being sidelined, can send "Punishment" after the missing artist, sometimes to end them permanently.
Whilst the job is not Dangerous... The Lifestyle certainly can be!
Whilst the job is not Dangerous... The Lifestyle certainly can be!
Alternative Names
Blotches, Flowers, Smears (Derogatory) Majestics, Beauties, Perfectors (Common Vernacular)
Type
Artisan
Demand
Whilst Rare In Number, Partaneria Are Always Extremely Highly Sought After!
Legality
Whilst there is nothing illegal about being a Partaneros their flippant and often irresponsible natures tend to lead them to walk a fine line between legal and criminal! A Partaneros might well travel into the darkest alleys in the most dangerous territory just on the promise of a new type of paint that has the luster he can't find anywhere else, made from the blood of some fel creature from the other side of the world that is strictly forbidden from leaving the nation of its origin.
Art, as the Partaneria like to say, is that which straddles the borders of formality and decency and ventures into the realm of chaos in an attempt to order it into something that all love to see, hear and lay hands upon! There is no law under the sun that can limit this reality nor any force that can keep the Partaneros from returning from the lands of chaos with his creation!
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