Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Olympia, Edouard Manet

One of the problems of having a daily blog, particularly one that is based in a Vancouver of the 21st century is that we still have a conservative view of the arts.

Those who go to ballet refuse to go to modern dance. “I don’t understand it,” they say. Those who go to the Vancouver Opera will not attend baroque operas or anything by Glass.

Those who might enjoy the 19th century repertoire of the Vancouver Symphony (to be fair that is not entirely true) will not attend Early Music Vancouver concerts. They would not consider the Turning Point Ensemble’s series of concerts. And one of the wonderful intimate residential concerts of the Microcosmos String Quartet where they have been playing quartets by Britten and Bartók would possibly be out of bounds for many. Those who might enjoy lobrow art at the Smash Gallery would not step into the VAG.

Black Velvet, Andrew Wyeth

This cubbyholing of the arts seems to be a conundrum for those few newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV programs of our city.

That problem transfers itself, or at least I perceive it as doing so, to my blog. I like to shoot undraped females but I find that when I did this in the beginning of my 2006 entries there were a few city web sites (particularly botanical ones) that dropped links and RSS feeds. It seems that children or their parents might be offended.

Yet in a museum like the Metropolitan in New York there are no warning signs preceding entry to the room of Nicolas Poussin’s Rape of the Sabine Women that tells parents to shield their children’s eyes.

So while it is okay to pose in small bathing suits on so many magazines with skin that is fixed to surreal perfection the sight of a nude photograph (not so much as a nude painting or sketch) is enough to damn one to a web-based oblivion.

Black Ribbon in the Malibu - Willoughby Blew

 And so I limit my photograph entries into pictures that most would use that distasteful word to describe them, “Alex they are tasteful.” I long for a different blog where I can post what I want without feeling any restraint. But that will not happen as far as I can tell. And most that read or glance at the pictures of my blog will have to use their imagination and extrapolates.

A case in point is that nobody will be offended if I place here Edouard Manet’s 1863 Olympia and Andrew Wyeth’s 1972 Manet inspired version in drybrush, Black Velvet.

I took some pictures of Bronwen wearing that black ribbon around the neck. If I were to run that photograph here I have no idea who might complain to me. So instead I am running a curious painting by South African artist Willoughby Blew that I think has a remarkable likeness to my photographs in the Malibu. What do you think?