Perusing a paper one noticed the Suicide Girls' recreation of 'Demoiselles d'Avignon', Picasso's 1906/7 masterpiece. Multiple perspective, Egyptian masks, brothel as then shocking subject (Edwardian mores!). One cannot help but admire the girls' cheeky resolve under the agis of culture. Sex is education!
Jon Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' considers the difference between the naked model and the nude. The latter is a posed convention adopting certain motifs-typically arms raised, side profile. The 1960's model he uses for illustrative purposes (hmm!) is most attractive. Arms raised to arrange her hair, leg dramatically arranged to step up to the bath. Is there a voyeuristic convetion for femmes at thier toilet? It seems probable, anyway the model is unbelievably absorbing, in the modern parlance, lush.
Life drawing classes. Occasionally a girl would model for the class but usually we were provided with astocky 40 year old male replete with pierced penis. But really the funny thing is that within a couple of minutes you forget all about sexuality. You feel on trial, open classroom, the shame of being the worst student. My drawings are too rigid. The only decent work I produce is automatc drawing, affixing a charcoal crayon to a wobbly cane, with no control. Will an abstract into being. Looks like draw the dots.
And then my efforts at silkscreen, lamentable but fun and at least it did aid my appreciation of art. Out of this to say that if you are lucky enough to be shaken by the talent tree (and all things being equal), you are blessed, use it and then we can all gleefully consume and bitch !!
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