Gustave Doré

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Dor%C3%A9

 January 6, 1832 – January 23, 1883) was a French artist, engraver, illustrator and sculptor. Prolific artist. Some of his most reknowned illustrations were his work on The Divine Comedy.

Mary Woronov

A few years back I was walking through the isles of Barnes & Noble and I found a book that got my attention. "Wake for the angels". I do love angels, which is why I stopped to look at it in the first place. But then I was captured by the paintings that illustrated the book: fluid bodies that look about to burst in flames or to disintegrate or to materialize outside the book. A strong dose of pesimism or realism. Stories with a strange mix of sarcasm, nostalgia, sadness. It was not really so much about angels, as it was about Los Angeles. I walked out with the book in my hand.

I was never too sure who the author was. At that time I had not been painting for a long while, and yet I found the paintings so inspiring. I loved the stories, and I loved just browsing through the pages, knowing that there was a sensibility there that I could not completely figure out but I could certainly enjoy.

Yesterday I wanted to look up the author of the book and see if she had anything else. Well, was that a surprise... You'll see. During the last two years I've been very interested in Andy Warhol, reading his books (Philosophy of Andy Warhol, Popism), books about him, a collection of his nudes... Watching "Factory Girl"... Anyway, absorbing everything I can about him. During the last couple of weeks I have also been in a very Lou Reed mood, listening to Lou and Metallica's new album, Lulu. Watching "Far away so close", in which Lou Reed has an important role. Listening to Nico.

So, was it surprising to learn that Mary Woronov, author of the book, also happened to be an important figure in the Andy Warhol scene!

American actress, artist and writer. "Mary Woronov first made headlines in the early 1960s as a Warhol superstar. She danced with Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Warhol's multimedia presentation of the Velvet Underground.

Woronov's notable appearances include in the 1975 cult film Death Race 2000 and 1979's Rock 'n' Roll High School (and the 1991 sequel Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever), but her breakthrough role was in the 1982 cult film Eating Raoul. " [Wikipedia]



Affair, by Mary Woronov



Demon, by Mary Woronov

They took George into the woods and tortured him for hours, by Mary Woronov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Woronov

http://www.maryworonov.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Angels-Mary-Woronov/dp/1885203004

Joel-Peter Witkin

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Francesco Salomoni

Francesco Salomoni is an Italian artist currently residing in Florida. I first saw his works on eBay. His portfolio presents a few different styles, with some abstract paintings aside a number of female nudes. I just have to say that I found his paintings of nude females refreshing in their simplicity.

He also includes a number of drawings. Some of them appear to have been sketches for paintings, usually with a couple of minor differences. He also has an area dedicated to photography and a self-published photography book.

"Nude American Girl" by Francesco Salomoni.

Website: http://www.francescosalomoni.com

Completely Naked - Emotional Censorship

Completely Naked is a visual art initiative in London that, in their own words:

"Specialized in interactive installations, we explore live arts, visual, digital and time-based languages and our ideas are based on a curiosity for human behaviour from individual to collective responses. We create psychological conflicts to activate the partaker's reaction. We explore representations of the human body and challenge social boundaries around personal identity. Our work combines an interest in culture, psychology and communication with design by engaging public audiences in exciting methods of interactivity and art."

I find their projects fascinating, fearless in explore the taboo behind the identity, the privacy of the subject, and the need for self expression.

I'm sharing here a video that Completely Naked recently posted, from the Censura Emocional (Emotional Censorship) project in Portugal. I really recommend visiting their website, their facebook and their vimeo. You are in for an interesting trip!



Censura Emocional / FB / A8 from pau ros on Vimeo.
Website: http://www.completelynaked.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Completely-Naked/190073984824?sk=info

Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/user313096

Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone

In a park in Armenia, Colombia, there was a performance called "El que esté libre de pecado que tire la primera piedra" ("Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"). During the performance, an artist stripped nude and stood in front of a tree, as waiting for the stones to be thrown at him. Later on, he handed something (I'm not sure what, soap?).

During the performance, a reporter was completely outraged. He could not stop staring and yelling: "This is immoral! This might be a homosexual act!". Sure, the reporter showed a lot of ignorance and intolerance (and even homophobia) with his reaction, but wasn't that the point? To provoke, to bring those demons out of the human mind and expose them just as the artist exposed his body.

The reporter held his cell phone just as if he was holding the stone. Perhaps the modern stone is the cell phone used to throw the public forces against everything that we cannot accept.

Perhaps without this reaction the performance would have missed its mark. The sin wouldn't have been exposed. Intolerance, fear, repression, ignorance. Homophobia, but why homophobia? What is homosexual about a nude body? Perhaps the reporter becomes homosexual when he takes his clothes off to shower in the morning? Or does he shower with his eyes closed?

So, the video is obviously in Spanish, but the language of gestures is universal enough.

Luiz Gustavo Martins - Brazil

I almost don't know anything about Gustavo Martins. I found him through Flickr, where there is some brief biographical information:

"Degree in fine arts by Puc, I work in the area of illustration and participated in some halls of humor.
Later in 2010 I started to focus my work in the arts, where I realized I had more creative freedom than picturing memories from the past that hour mix with the realities today."

I love the innocence and matter of fact ways of his characters, and the strong, almost blocky compositions. His use of curtains, windows, walls etc to create the scene and frame is quite classical.


o dia das canções de amor de Aline Maria - " Aline Maria's love songs day"




retrato para Luzia,a cabrocha que abriu as portas do céu. - "picture for Luzia,the woman who opened the gates of heaven."
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinsland/