Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Viva La Femme



So many artists, both old and of late, have painted the human body. No surprise, for the human body is a magnificent subject. A wonder of creation. A thing of beauty. Unless its mine, with a pot belly the size of lower Manhattan. And many choose "sin ropa" ..without clothes. Not all, mind you. I just can't picture Grant Wood's "American Gothic" with the farmer and his pitchfork, and...you get the idea. Both the male and the female form are captured on untold canvasses. I, however, am fascinated by the female form. Well, OK,...obsessed. I decided to do a series of 10 female form studies using so much discretion it broke my heart. Minimal exposure in a field of shadow. I chauvinistically call this series "Dolls in the Shadows" after a music piece by Tangerine Dream. Feminists may be appalled by that title, but class never was my strong suit.

Illustrated above is Study One. I will paint the remaining nine when I find more models. And I try to research the subjects I paint. I scrutinized this subject to beat all get out. I find that continued intense study is an absolute necessity. I delved into the physique and mystique of "WOMAN" and learned one vital fact...the fact that I didn't learn anything. This is illustrated by the device pictured above.

Oh well, back to my frog paintings. Don't forget to check into WTTW.

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