The painter who gave us Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
(Click here to buy print) ,
also gave us Young Woman Powdering Herself.
It is owned by the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
Hat tip: Tara
Next week: Sculpture Series!
Today we acknowledge the work of Audrenn Thorez, about whom Francesca knows nothing beyond the paintings. Thanks to our internet friend Veronica for the tip!
Francesca likes that these women look like they have a life in them, a personality, an emotion that is not connected purely to sexuality, allure, or the gaze of others, but is about . . . the way they gaze at us.
Today we turn to a completely different sort of medium from oils and ceramics: The edible art!
Look, from Atlanta’s Highland Bakery, we have Big Girls as cake:
and cookies!
Francesca loves!
And, look, they made a cake for shoe-lovers:
Kudos to the bakery’s sugar artist, Karen Portaleo!
And thanks to our internet friend Martha for the tip. xoxo
Via Red No. 3, we have this news:
Anyone in Boston might want to check out the Herb Ritts Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts through May 10. The Photographic Figures exhibition features “Venus of Willendorf ’91″ by Harriet Casdin-Silver a feminist artist known for her work in holograms.
Here is the lovely Venus of Willendorf:
And here is Casdin-Silver’s lovely holographic version:
Learn more about this work here. And check out Red No. 3, as well!
xoxo
Here we have the delightful work of the superfantastic artist Rebecca Molayem, who creates the visions of the Big Girls in different media!
Thank you to our internet friend Gwen for the tip!
Gemdiva wrote:
Francesca, Allow me to suggest this painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. A print of it hangs in my bedroom and I have always admired this big girl for looking so matter-of-factly and directly at the painter without any shame or embarassment. Enjoy.
Francesca thinks that what Gemdiva meant was that this woman was not ashamed to be nude, not that she had any reason to feel ashamed for being a Big Girl. After all, for Renoir, this figure was the epitome of female beauty.
Exhibitionism is equal opportunity!
Thank you, Gemdiva, for pointing out this beautiful painting.
Francesca knows that this collection of photography got substantial press when it was published in 2007, but it is worth revisiting.
Leonard Nimoy is, of course, best known for playing Mr. Spock on the original Star Treck series. But the actor has always engaged in photography as well. His second collection of published photographs, titled The Full Body Project, features images of plus-size women in the nude. The photographs are respectful and sexy (not an easy balance to achieve under any circumstances).
This is a family blog (sort of), so Francesca had to pick images with great care. To see more, you can order the book here, or go to Mr. Nimoy’s web page to see many of the photographs there. (Site is Not Safe for Work!)
