Currently viewing the tag: "Nudity"
Pictured above are four Parisians who found a way to escape the sweltering heat of the city. Well, at least two of party have found a way to keep cool. These four are rather like a certain quartet of musicians who had a picnic in 1510; the women were bare naked but the men were smothered in velvet. All that’s further down this page. Now pay attention to the painting above. The woman in the background clearly enjoys wading in the stream and isn’t concerned that her chemise — what exactly is she wearing? — gets soaked. And the bold young woman in the foreground has tossed aside convention and all her clothes. You’re cool or you’re not, right?
But the men! Look at them — suffocating in tight collars, heavy jackets, cravats, hats, shoes and, though you can’t make it out in this small image, the one on the right is even wearing a vest. These guys haven’t got a clue.
It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on here. The scene was painted by Edouard Manet around 1862-1863. He named the painting Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) and, in fact, along side the discarded clothing there’s a basket of fruit and a round loaf of bread. But no one is eating. And whatever the guy on the right is saying it’s clear that he’s lost the attention of his naked lunch date. She’s more interested in us. And, you know, we’re more interested in her.
Manet wasn’t having any luck getting his paintings shown when he captured this interesting picnic. His work was rejected year after year by the gate-keepers of the government-sponsored show at the Palais des Champs-Elysees. That exhibit, or Salon, was visited by thousands of Parisians and it was virtually impossible for a painter to make a living if he didn’t succeed there. The jurors were generally conservatives and Manet was one of several artists whose work was rejected by the Salon. In 1863 so many paintings were turned down that the government, giving in to the artists’ bitter complaints, sponsored an alternative exhibit for the rejected paintings, the famous Salon des Refuses. That’s where Manet exhibited this painting.
Manet’s scene was inspired in part by Giorgione’s painting of a similar quartet 1510. We have an image of that painting further down this page. We’re not suggesting you try this at your local picnic grounds or National Park. We’re not stupid. We know there must be better places. You’re cool or you’re not, right?
Giorgione's Pastoral Concert
The heat and humidity afflicting most of the United States has been a problem for other people in other places too. Pictured above is a scene painted by Giorgione in Italy around 1510. We don’t know how Giorgione came across this interesting quartet who had found such a simple way to keep cool on a hot day. In mid summer there’s nothing like the peace and quiet of the countryside, especially if there’s a well of cool water and a glass pitcher close by. So you bring along your guitar or lute, and a recorder or flute of some sort, and play a few tunes. And you stay cool.
Or at least some do. There’s no way of telling what those two women were wearing when they left home that morning, but clearly they’ve discarded a lot of clothing. There’s no better way to keep cool than by slipping out of your clothes. So you have to feel sorry for those men — the fellow on the left must be roasting under all that heavy red velvet, and the guy on the right, the one with the 1968 head of hair, he’s not much better off either. But the women look cool. OK, so maybe they ate too much pasta the past few years, but they do look cool. Heavy, but cool.
The painting has had different names – Country Fiesta, is one — but if you call it Giorgione’s Pastoral Concert, that will be fine. Giorgione’s full name is Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; he was a Venetian and one of his students was Titian. In fact, the Louvre, where this painting hangs, believes that Titian painted it, or, at least, finished what Giorgione had started to paint shortly before his death. Only about a half dozen of Giorgione’s paintings survive, and many, like this one, have a suggestive, enigmatic quality about them.
Naked Bike Ride Poster
Well, it happened again. Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride pedaled through Portland, Oregon, this most recent June 18th. We don’t know what the count was this year, but in 2010 an estimated 13,000 riders gathered in Portland for the event. It’s part of Pedalpalooza — 200 or so “bikey fun” events. In theory, at least, the World Naked Bike Ride draws awareness to environmental issues; specifically, emissions from gasoline driven cars. And maybe it does.
Naked Bike Ride in London
But as a clothing optional event it certainly draws attention to, well, naked bike riders. Nudity is legal in Portland, so long sexual activity or attempted arousal isn’t part of it. Reportedly, police suggested that bicyclists should at least wear a bicycle helmet.
Gene Mirabelli writes most of the posts here, so we're very pleased to announce that his recent novel, Renato, the Painter, has won a first prize for Literary Fiction in the 2013 Independent Publisher (IP or "IPPY") Book awards.
The Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers. Award winners are chosen by librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines, working everyday with patrons and customers. Some 125 books competed for the literary fiction Gold Medal. These books are examples of independent publishing at its finest.Publishers Weekly says "In prose as lusty and vigorous as Renato himself, Mirabelli captures the feeling of coming to terms - ready or not - with old age." For more about the writer and his book, turn to our contact page or to the author's web site.
