Erotic Art Entry: Part 2

Imagine a cold, abandoned, slab of marble transformed into one of the world's most beautiful figures. An image so arresting and visually exciting that one may find him or herself gasping for air, wordless, struck by an inanimate object's potency and ... virility.

Here is an excerpt from another entry to stir your senses and take you on an Italian journey filled with sprezzatura and sensuality.
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      Michelangelo, David, 1501-04, marble statue, Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence

Photo Courtesy of WikiArt

      David’s untraditional stance could be partially responsible for his incredibly enticing energy. The sculptural departure does not include David hovering over the head of the decapitated Goliath. In fact, David has yet to engage in war with Goliath. The contrapposto, or pose of David standing with one leg holding his full weight and the other leg forward, emphasizes the decisiveness of David commencing battle. His eyes are piercing, probing and filled with a masculine intensity created by adrenaline. The veins bulging on his lower right hand creates a sense of realism and one can imagine the blood surging through his body. One of the more immediately reward attributes of the nude sculpture, is just that… David is in the buffed marble wearing a Renaissance birthday suit.

Though there have been replicas made of David, none is as striking as the original, sculpted under the hands of Michelangelo. However, some have considered David to bea bit too exciting and salacious. The plaster cast of David at the Victoria and Albert Museum features a detachable plaster fig leaf. Queen Victoria was shocked upon first seeing the statue’s nudity, that on subsequent royal visits, the fig leaf would affix to David’s groin. 

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For more information about the book, my art lectures, and gallery and museum tours please contact me at cherise@nu-garde.com or visit my website, www.nu-garde.com

Art To Warm Up Those Cold Winter Nights: Part 1

My manuscript for "101 Iconic Erotic Artworks from Ancient to Contemporary Times" is complete. In an attempt to distract and disrupt my readers, the art lovers, from the brooding, chilly winter, I will post a snippet from each 101 entry, every day. The flurries may be falling outside, but the steam will be rising from your screen. 

Here comes number one: 
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Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538, oil on canvas, Uffizi, Florence

(Photo Courtesy of Google Art Project)

Our Venus reclines on a chaise lounge holding a posy of roses in her right hand whilst her left hand is gently curled around her genitals. The unapologetic and gentle graphicness of this image can allow the viewer to enter the metaphysical zone of autoeroticism.  At Venus’ request, her ladies in waiting are searching for something in the wedding chest so that our beautiful ‘goddess’ can have a moment to herself. There is a sense of urgency vis a vis the dichotomy of the private versus the public. A curtain just barely separates Venus from the background, so that she can carry on with her self-pleasure. The curtain also serves as a theatrical backdrop for the viewer’s enjoyment of the performance.

Titian’s painting did not appease all viewers, however. Mark Twain cited that the picture was “the foulest, the vilest, the obscenest picture the world possesses” and that “it was painted for a bagnio, and it was probably refused because it was a trifle too strong.” (1880 travelogue A Tramp Abroad).

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Hope you enjoyed this warm winter interlude. More to come tomorrow...