Art would never reach this height again until the Renaissance.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Giulio Romano
It's not every day that you learn about your new favorite Renaissance painter, and that is exactly what happened to me the other day. I was reading a discussion about Art vs. Porn. The article listed 10 artists from the 20th century, and as I went through the different comments, someone mentioned that all the listed artwork was pretty tame, and they compared it to a painting by Giulio Romano, Jupiter and Olympia. I clicked the link and I was really surprised about what came up:
The image is obviously explicit, and being immersed in the American culture, I've sort of learned to separate sexuality from art, so seeing a painting that so masterfully depicts:
* Explicit sex
* An erection
* A voyeur
* An uncircumcised penis
It pretty much goes against a lot of assumptions that you see in some scenes, ahem, deviantArt!
Add to it the quality of the drawing and painting. The pose of the female, the coloring and construction of the muscles, obviously made me think of Michelangelo. But the mood was something totally different, something that I had never seen.
Of course the next step is Google. And I was really in for a treat, not so much on the erotic side of things, but in the art that I was about to find.
"Giulio Romano (c. 1499 – November 1, 1546) was an Italian painter and architect. A prominent pupil of Raphael, his stylistic deviations from high Renaissance classicism help define the 16th-century style known as Mannerism." (This and more here: http://www.all-art.org/DICTIONARY_of_Art/g/giulio1.htm)
I recommend looking up his artwork. Now, regarding his more erotic side, there was a book published in the renaissance that included engravings based on paintings that Romano was doing as a commission. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Modi
Another interesting article about I Modi: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2010/dec/10/shakespeare-dirty-pictures (Are these Shakespeare's dirty pictures?)
Finally, just an FYI: I LOVE the Italian Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli, a triad of incredible masters. And with them, Giulio Romano, definitively a master.
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| Jupiter and Olympia |
The image is obviously explicit, and being immersed in the American culture, I've sort of learned to separate sexuality from art, so seeing a painting that so masterfully depicts:
* Explicit sex
* An erection
* A voyeur
* An uncircumcised penis
It pretty much goes against a lot of assumptions that you see in some scenes, ahem, deviantArt!
Add to it the quality of the drawing and painting. The pose of the female, the coloring and construction of the muscles, obviously made me think of Michelangelo. But the mood was something totally different, something that I had never seen.
Of course the next step is Google. And I was really in for a treat, not so much on the erotic side of things, but in the art that I was about to find.
"Giulio Romano (c. 1499 – November 1, 1546) was an Italian painter and architect. A prominent pupil of Raphael, his stylistic deviations from high Renaissance classicism help define the 16th-century style known as Mannerism." (This and more here: http://www.all-art.org/DICTIONARY_of_Art/g/giulio1.htm)
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| Donna al Bagno |
Another interesting article about I Modi: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2010/dec/10/shakespeare-dirty-pictures (Are these Shakespeare's dirty pictures?)
Finally, just an FYI: I LOVE the Italian Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli, a triad of incredible masters. And with them, Giulio Romano, definitively a master.
Monday, November 28, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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.
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Woronov
http://www.maryworonov.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Angels-Mary-Woronov/dp/1885203004
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.
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]
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| Affair, by Mary Woronov |
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| Demon, by Mary Woronov |
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| 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
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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.
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
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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
"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
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