02 works, The Art Of The Nude, Edward Henry Weston's Nudes, with footnotes #217

Edward Henry Weston (1911-1993)

Nude, 1975

Gelatin silver print

10 3/8 x 13 5/8in (26.3 x 34.5cm)

Private collection

Sold for US$4,075 in May 2020

Edward Henry Weston (1886-1958)

Nude, 1925

Gelatin silver print

7 3/8 x 8 3/4in (18.7 x 22.2cm)

Private collection

Sold for US$2,550 in May 2020

Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886 – January 1, 1958) was an American photographer. He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers" and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." Over the course of his 40-year career Weston photographed an increasingly expansive set of subjects, including landscapes, still lifes, nudes, portraits, genre scenes, and even whimsical parodies. It is said that he developed a "quintessentially American, and especially Californian, approach to modern photography" because of his focus on the people and places of the American West. In 1937 Weston was the first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, and over the next two years he produced nearly 1,400 negatives using his 8 × 10 view camera. Some of his most famous photographs were taken of the trees and rocks at Point Lobos, California, near where he lived for many years. More on Edward Henry Weston

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest and my art stores at  deviantart and Aaroko

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02 works, The Art Of The Nude, William Claxton's Peggy Moffitt in Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich's" TOPLESS SWIMSUIT, with footnotes #219

William Claxton, 1927 - 2008

Peggy Moffitt modeling the topless swim suit designed by Rudi Gernreich, c. 1964

Silver print

33 x 26cm.; 13 x 10in.

Private collection

William Claxton, 1927 - 2008

Peggy Moffitt  in Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich's TOPLESS SWIMSUIT, c. 1964

Silver print

33 x 26cm.; 13 x 10in.

Private collection

Gernreich collaborated with Moffitt and her husband, photographer William Claxton. The three became "a dynamic and inseparable trio. “Without Rudi I would have been a gifted and innovative model,” explained Moffitt in The Rudi Gernreich Book. “Without me he would have been an avant-garde designer of genius. We made each other better. We were each other’s catalyst.... It was fun, it was invigorating, it was a true collaboration, and yes, it was love.” Moffit was later described as his muse.

Margaret Anne "Peggy" Moffitt (born May 14, 1940) is a former American model and actress. During the 1960s, she worked very closely with fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, and developed a signature style that featured heavy makeup and an asymmetrical hair cut.

Though her unique look has now become iconic of the 60s fashion scene, Moffitt began her a career as an actress, beginning with an uncredited role in the 1955 film You're Never Too Young. She first began modeling in Paris in the 1950s.

During the 1960s, she developed a signature style, including false eyelashes and heavy eye makeup. Her hairstyle, an asymmetrical bowl cut, created by Vidal Sassoon, became known as the "five point". Her unique look became an icon of the 1960s fashion scene. More on Margaret Anne "Peggy" Moffitt

Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich (August 8, 1922 – April 21, 1985) was an Austrian-born American fashion designer whose avant-garde clothing designs are generally regarded as the most innovative and dynamic fashion of the 1960s. He purposefully used fashion design as a social statement to advance sexual freedom, producing clothes that followed the natural form of the female body, freeing them from the constraints of high fashion. More on Rudolf "Rudi" Gernreich

William Claxton,1927 - 2008, started out as a film editor with Edward Small Productions in 1940. Claxton's first directorial work was "All That I Can Have" (1951), he spent much of the 1950s with 20th Century-Fox's Regal Pictures subsidiary. Though Mr. Claxton's film credits are extensive, he is best remembered for his work on television.

His television work began with a longtime stint as the producer and director of the syndicated Christian religious anthology TV series "This is the Life", which was a favorite of longtime friend Michael Landon's, Claxton also directed much of Landon's work such as Bonanza and Highway to Heaven. Additionally, he worked on Bonanza: The Next Generation that aired in 1988. More on William Claxton

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest and my art stores at  deviantart and Aaroko

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06 works, The Art Of The Nude, The Art of War, Felix Labisse's Alma is wounded, with footnotes #220 2

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 1

AI Generated

freepik

The battlefield lay silent, the echoes of clashing steel and cries of warriors now replaced by an eerie stillness. Alma, once a fierce figure clad in gleaming armor, staggered amidst the remnants of the clash. Her breast plate torn off , exposing her battered form beneath. Blood trickled from a deep gash on her side, mingling with the mud beneath her feet.

After Felix Labisse

Alma is wounded 1

AI Generated

freepik

As she pressed a shaking hand against the wound, memories of the fight raced through her mind: the rush of battle, the heat of adrenaline, and the faces of those who had fought bravely alongside her now flickering like candlelight in the wind. She felt the weight of their loss heavy on her heart, and the realization that many would not return home settled in like a stone.

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 2

AI Generated

freepik

With a grimace, she maneuvered her body to an upright position, gritting her teeth against the pain. The battlefield, once filled with the sounds of war, now echoed with a haunting silence, broken only by the distant cries of the wounded.

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 3

AI Generated

freepik

Alma glanced around, spotting a familiar figure among the debris—a fellow warrior struggling to rise. Ignoring the pulsating pain, she pressed forward, each step a testament to her will to fight, to survive.

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 4

AI Generated

freepik

Her breath unsteady. “We... need to secure the area. We can’t let them regroup.”

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 5

AI Generated

freepik

She began to move, her wounds a reminder of the brutal toll of war. Alone she is weak, but with others she could stand against the darkness, determined to forge a path forward, even as the storm clouds of uncertainty gathered overhead.

After Felix Labisse

Detail, Alma is wounded 6

AI Generated

freepik

As she stumbled ahead, Alma felt a flicker of hope igniting within the gloom. She was alive, and though battered and bloodied, she had the strength to carry on.

Alma was by far the most distinguished of women because of her many superior qualities, especially because of the bravery she demonstrated in defense of her people.

Islam elevated the status of women, treating them on an equal footing with a man. Women had a newfound independent identity, in the physical and spiritual spheres.

Islamic history is full of warrior women who fiercely fought for what they believed in, defended what they cherished, and defied all expectations and became legends.

The Warrior Woman is an ancient archetype that is not well known because the stories have been both forgotten and suppressed. Mythology is full of warrior goddesses.

Traditionally, the Bedouin were among the most dangerous of desert tribes, fighting among themselves when outsiders weren’t available. Constantly on the move to find new pastures for their livestock, they learned to live with the minimum of possessions and little external support in the harshest of lands. Loyalty to tribe and family was all that helped a warrior survive. More on Desert Warriors

Félix Labisse (March 9, 1905 – January 27, 1982) was a French Surrealist painter, illustrator, and designer.

He was born in Marchiennes. He divided his time between Paris and the Belgian coast from 1927. In Ostend he met James Ensor, who influenced his work. Beginning in 1931 he designed for the theater. His paintings depict fantastical hybrid creatures, and are often erotic. He painted the first of a series of blue women in 1960; among them is the Bain Turquoise.

He was the subject of a film by Alain Resnais, Visite à Félix Labisse (1947). In 1966 he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. In 1973 his paintings were shown in a retrospective exhibition at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1982. More on Félix Labisse

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest and deviantart

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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10 works, The Art Of The Nude, MAN RAY's Kiki of Montparnasse, with footnotes #217

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

Portrait de Kiki, c. 1923

Oil on canvas

24 1/8 x 18 in. (61.3 x 45.6 cm.)

Private collection

Sold for USD 1,623,000 in May 2023

"I paint what cannot be photographed and I photograph what I do not wish to paint. " Man Ray

Although celebrated for his photographic practice, it was in fact painting that first engaged Man Ray, né Emmanuel Radnitsky, a visionary par excellence. 

Soon after Man Ray arrived in Paris, in July of 1921, he met Kiki, then about twenty years of age. Kiki de Montparnasse (1901–1953) over that decade was a singer (recorded and published), a successful self-taught artist, an author, and a celebrated artists' model. She was, in the 1920s, the queen of the Paris left bank, at least to the avant-garde. Born Alice Prin, she has been made legend through the photographs Man Ray made of her, such as the iconic Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924 (see below), and Noire et blanche, 1925–1926 (see below). He also made a handful of Rayographs of her, indeed they made some together in their hotel room on the Rue Delambre, in the early months of 1922. More on Man Ray and Kiki

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

Untitled (Solarized Nude, Paris), c. 1929

Gelatin silver print

11 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. (28.5 x 22.5 cm.)

Private collection

Sold for USD 630,000 in May 2023

The present dramatic subject – the back of a voluptuous half-figure nude, her head turned to her left – calls to mind Man Ray’s celebrated Violon d’Ingres of 1924 (see below). Solarized Nude, notwithstanding its own distinct characteristics, might justifiably be considered a deliberate and playful echo of the Violon d’Ingres, itself a willful echo of Ingres’s celebrated odalisque. Man Ray’s luminous nude from 1929 takes its place among the emblematic nudes that constitute such an important aspect of the artist’s oeuvre. As his friend Roland Penrose reminds us, when reflecting on the media and themes that inspired Man Ray, ‘…the sources most rich in poetic stimulus, direct or indirect, were the women he loved. …the grace, purity and compelling magic of the female presence is made vivid and permanent by his skill.’ (Man Ray, London, 1971, p. 99) His muses were central to his creativity. More on this photograph

Man Ray

Le Violon d'Ingres, c. 1924, printed 1950s

Gelatin silver print

5 ¾ x 4 ¼ in. 14.6 x 10.8 cm. 5 ¾ x 4 3/8 in. 14.6 x 11.1 cm.

Private collection

The photograph was inspired by Valpinçon Bather (1808), a painting by the French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste- Dominique Ingres. Its title came from a popular French expression, which means “a hobby,” in reference to the fact that Ingres used to play violin as a pastime when he wasn't painting. More on this photograph

Man Ray

Noire Et Blanche, 1926

Gelatin silver print

26 x 31 inches

Private collection

Estimate for  €1,000,000-1,500,000 in April 2017

Noire et Blanche, was first published in the Parisian edition of Vogue in May 1926. This quiet, elegant and dreamy study naturally appealed to Jacques Doucet, the great French fashion icon and designer. His own vision, which combined the ancient and primitive arts with his graceful and modern taste, is complimented by Man Ray’s vision of a surreal twist of tonality. More on this photograph

Ray, Man

At the Hour of the Observatory, the Lovers, kiki of montparnasse, c. 1932

Duotone Photo Litho,

7.6x6.1"

Private collection

One of Man Ray’s most memorable paintings, Observatory Time, is featured in this black-and-white photograph, along with a nude. It includes a depiction of the lips of his departed lover, Lee Miller, floating in the sky above the Paris Observatory. In the photograph, the nude is lying on her side on a sofa underneath the painting, with a chessboard at her feet. Observatory Time hints at what the woman might be dreaming: a nightmare or an erotic fantasy. The lips in the picture were an inspiration for the logo of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and many other pop culture iconic images. The chessboard appears in many of the artist’s works—Duchamp, Picabia and Man Ray all loved playing chess. And Man Ray considered a grid of squares, “the basis for all art... it helps you to understand the structure, to master a sense of order.” He also made chess set designs and photographs of chessboards, pieces and players. More on this photograph

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

Kiki, 1922

Sheet-fed gravure

10 1/4" x 8 1/8"

Private collection

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

 Kiki De Montparnasse, c.1922

Photogravure/Heliogravure.

7.5 x 6 inches

Private collection

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

 Kiki De Montparnasse, c.1922

Photogravure/Heliogravure.

7.5 x 6 inches

Private collection

Kiki, and often known as Kiki de Montparnasse, was a French artist's model, literary muse, nightclub singer, actress, memoirist, and painter. She flourished in, and helped define, the liberated culture of Paris in the 1920s.

An illegitimate child, she was raised in abject poverty by her grandmother. At age twelve, she was sent to live with her mother in Paris in order to find work. She first worked in shops and bakeries, but by the age of fourteen, she was posing nude for sculptors, which created discord with her mother.

Adopting a single name, "Kiki", she became a fixture in the Montparnasse social scene and a popular artist's model, posing for dozens of artists. Her companion for most of the 1920s was Man Ray, who made hundreds of portraits of her. She can be considered his muse at this time. 

A painter in her own right, in 1927 Prin had a sold-out exhibition of her paintings at the Galerie au Sacre du Printemps in Paris. Her drawings and paintings comprise portraits, self-portraits, social activities, fanciful animals, and dreamy landscapes composed in a light, slightly uneven, expressionist style that is a reflection of her easy-going manner and boundless optimism. More on Kiki of Montparnasse

Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)

Kiki with Pearl Bracelet, c. 1921

Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1921

11.5 x 8.5 in. (29.2 x 21.6 cm.)

Private collection

MAN RAY (1890-1976)

Kiki de Montparnasse in Man Ray's Voisin C7 Automobile

Gelatin silver print

8 3/8 × 11 1/16 in. (21.27 × 28.1 cm)

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

This portrait of Kiki de Montparnasse (1901–1953) in the passenger seat of Man Ray’s Voisin C7 dates to the summer of 1926, when the American artist was making his experimental film Emak Bakia, in which Kiki was the undeniable star. Emak Bakia was filmed at the summer villa of Arthur and Rose Wheeler near Biarritz, and this photograph may have been taken on the road trip from Paris to the fashionable sea resort. This shared private moment, when Man Ray had stopped by the side of the country road to take Kiki’s portrait, reflects the personal happiness of the early years of their romance, as well as their shared excitement about the movie they were about to make together. More on this photograph

Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in France. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was best known for his photography, and he was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. Man Ray is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called "rayographs" in reference to himself. More on Man Ray

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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01 work, The Art Of The Nude, Maurice Brianchon'd NU AUX BAS ROUGES, with footnotes #218

Maurice Brianchon, 1899 - 1979

NU AUX BAS ROUGES/ NUDE WITH RED STOCKINGS, c. 1958

Oil on canvas

25⅞ by 58⅞ in. (65.7 by 149.5 cm.)

Private collection

Estimated for 30,000 - 50,000 USD in December 2018 

Maurice Brianchon, (1899-1979) French, is known as one of the Painters of Poetic Reality. Brianchon attended É’cole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and moved to Spain shortly after to study the paintings of Spanish Masters. His early work is characterized by dynamic images of the theater, street scenes, and horse races – showing his love for life and youth. In contrast, his later work is more relaxed and contemplative, mostly painting still-life and landscapes. Later on, Brianchon returned to Paris to teach at É’cole des Arts Décoratifs, where his teachings had a profound impact and influence on the next generation of artists. More on Maurice Brianchon

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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01 work, The Art Of The Nude, Ruth Bernhard's Symbiosis, with footnotes #215

Ruth Bernhard (1905-2006)

Detail; Symbiosis, c. 1971

Gelatin silver

13 5/8 x 8 3/8in (34.5 x 21.3cm)

Private collection

Ruth Bernhard (1905-2006)

Symbiosis, c. 1971

Gelatin silver

13 5/8 x 8 3/8in (34.5 x 21.3cm)

Private collection

Estimated for US$4,000 - US$6,000 in May 2020

Symbiosis, interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.

Ruth Bernhard (October 14, 1905 – December 18, 2006) was a German-born American photographer.

Bernhard was born in Berlin to Lucian Bernhard and Gertrude Hoffmann. Her parents divorced when she was 2 years old and she only met her mother twice after the divorce. She was raised by two schoolteacher sisters and their mother. Bernhard's father Lucian was a major proponent of Ruth's work, and advised her frequently.

Bernhard studied art history and typography at the Berlin Academy of Art from 1925 to 1927  before moving to New York City to join her father. She began teaching at the University of California in 1958, while also giving lectures, classes and workshops all over the United States. More on Ruth Bernhard

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

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01 work, The Art Of The Nude, Manuel Álvarez Bravo's Fruta Prohibida, with footnotes #212

Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Mexican, 1902–2002

Fruta Prohibida, c. 1976

Gelatin silver print

8 x 10 in. (20.32 x 25.4 cm.)

J. Paul Getty Museum

Manuel Álvarez Bravo (February 4, 1902 – October 19, 2002) was a Mexican artistic photographer and one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. He was born and raised in Mexico City. While he took art classes at the Academy of San Carlos, his photography is self-taught. His career spanned from the late 1920s to the 1990s with its artistic peak between the 1920s and 1950s. His hallmark as a photographer was to capture images of the ordinary but in ironic or Surrealistic ways. His early work was based on European influences, but he was soon influenced by the Mexican muralism movement and the general cultural and political push at the time to redefine Mexican identity. He rejected the picturesque, employing elements to avoid stereotyping. He had numerous exhibitions of his work, worked in the Mexican cinema and established Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana publishing house. He won numerous awards for his work, mostly after 1970. His work was recognized by the UNESCO Memory of the World registry in 2017. More on Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.