There is a manifest sensuality to this dreaming woman with her body offered up to the spectator’s gaze, and we know from the Journal that Delacroix’s relations with his models often went beyond the pictorial; but there are also traces of the influence of Bonington in the presentation, and perhaps of Delacroix’s desire to emulate Ingres’ nudes.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Female Nude Reclining on a Divan
There is a manifest sensuality to this dreaming woman with her body offered up to the spectator’s gaze, and we know from the Journal that Delacroix’s relations with his models often went beyond the pictorial; but there are also traces of the influence of Bonington in the presentation, and perhaps of Delacroix’s desire to emulate Ingres’ nudes.
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Female Nude Reclining on a Divan
Diana and Callisto
It portrays the moment in which the goddess Diana discovers that her maid Callisto has become pregnant by Jupiter.
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Diana and Callisto
In the Tepidarium
The tepidarium was the warm Roman bath. This painting shows a girl holding an ostrich feather and a strigel used for scraping the skin after soaping and oiling it. Alma-Tadema generally contrasted archaeologically accurate detail with aggressively modern figures and attitudes. He was also the most gifted exponent among Victorian painters in rendering exactly textures, surfaces and colours.
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In the Tepidarium
Phryné before the Aeropagus
The story tells about Alcippe , the daughter of Ares (God of War) and Aglauros. She was raped by a son of Poseidon. Ares immediately killed the rapist, and was brought on trial by the other gods. It was the first murder trial. After the facts were laid out, and they heard what happened to Alcippe, Ares was quickly aquitted. Alcippe was also called Phryne.
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Phryné before the Aeropagus
The Nude Maja
The identity of the Nude Maja has been the topic of many discussions. Theories range from Pilar Teresa Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba, to Teresita, sister of a priest. Some critics believe Goya had no model at all, but painted his “ideal” woman.
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The Nude Maja
In the Tepidarium
In the Tepidarium
One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate
The painting depicts a woman (Dalí’s wife, Gala) sleeping while sunbathing naked during a calm day on rocks floating over the sea, possibly at Port Lligat. An elephant with incredibly long, extremely thin legs walks across the sea’s horizon while carrying an obelisk. Near the woman float two drops of water and a small pomegranate. From a larger pomegranate comes a fish that spews a tiger from which comes another tiger, while in front of that second tiger a rifle’s bayonet touches (or nearly touches) the woman’s right arm.
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In the Tepidarium
Venus Anadyomene
Venus Anadyomene offered a natural subject for a fountain: the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC has a lifesize bronze plumbed so that water drips from Venus’ hair, modelled by a close follower of Giambologna, late sixteenth century.
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Venus Anadyomene
Chloe
She has graced magazine covers, had wine named after her and poems written to her. She has experienced fame and adoration and has won high acclaim from critics. Her career began, like the many models after her, in Paris but she was created and moulded by a Master. She is a Melbourne icon, mascot for the HMAS Melbourne, an extremely fine work of art, she is an ingenue, a nymph, a celebrity. She is Chloe, the famous nude portait which has graced the walls of the Young and Jackson Hotel since 1909.
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Chloe
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
From Above The Clouds
From Above
acrylic on paper
20" X 7.5"
On a recent trip to New Orleans I had some great art conversations with a friend. One of the subjects we touched on was Georgia O'Keeff's clouds. I have seen them and I love the pattern that she created.On the way home, we were in the air for only a few minutes and traveling over the Mississippi coast when I saw this. I saw several patterns in the clouds. It interested me very much and had to remember it till I got home.
I do not think I have ever painted clouds from this view.
Have you ever thought about all the new views we have in our lifetime, both very large and very small. This is one. All the people that ever lived up to 1960, never saw this! Think of Galileo, in prison for "believing" that the world looked like this.
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