01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, Manuel Panselinos' St. Mercury and St. Artemy, soldier saints, with Footnotes #214

Manuel Panselinos
St. Mercury and St. Artemy, c. between 1290 and 1310
Fresco
Prorata

Also called soldier saints, these are a group of saints who were generally soldiers in life, martyrs to Christ in death, and then latterly revealed as our heavenly protectors...

Holy Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). Artemius received many awards for distinguished service and courage. He was appointed viceroy of Egypt. In this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt.

Saint Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, and the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, to Constantinople. The holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. 

The emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. 

During this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. The enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. More on Holy Great Martyr Artemius

Mercurius was a Roman soldier who became a Christian saint and martyr. He was born in Eastern Asia Minor. According to Christian tradition, he was the soldier who killed Julian the apostate during his campaign in Persia. Saint Mercurius was also widely known by his Arabic-language name Abu-Sayfain, (Arabic: أبو سيفين) which means "father of two swords", referring to the second sword given to him by the Archangel Michael.

Mercurius was the son of Yares, an officer in the Roman army. When he grew to adulthood (at the age of 17), he enlisted in the Roman army in the reign of Emperor Decius. He gained a great reputation among his superiors as a swordsman and a tactician in many battles. During this period, it is said that the Emperor grew very close to him.

After the death of Mercurius' father Noah, the pagan Roman Emperor Decius (ruled 249–251) chose him to replace his father. When the Barbarians attacked Rome, Decius went out to fight them but became afraid when he saw how many there were. Mercurius then came to him and said, "Do not be afraid, because God will kill our enemies and will bring us victory."

After several days of fighting, the Archangel Michael appeared to Mercurius holding a shining sword. The saint took the sword from the archangel, hence the name Abu Sayfain - "the father of two swords": a military sword and a divine sword. He conquered the Barbarians. When Decius heard news of the triumphant victory, he named Mercurius as a prince.

Nonetheless, in 249, Decius began his persecution of Christians, compelling everyone to offer sacrifices to his pagan gods. Mercurius declared himself a Christian, saying, "I do not worship anyone except my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ."

The Emperor tried to persuade him to give up his faith but failed. He then ordered Mercurius to be stripped of his rank and tortured. Fearing a revolt because the people loved Mercurius, the emperor had him bound in iron fetters and sent him to Caesarea. Mercurius was beheaded on 4 December 250 AD. He was only 25 years old. More on Mercurius

Manuel Panselinos was born in the late 13th century in Thessaloniki. His primary works were iconography and frescos. His works can be found in several monasteries of Mount Athos: Vatopedi, Megisti Lavra, and the Protaton Church in Karyes. His most important work is the mural painting of the church of the Protaton. His contemporaries were Georgios Kalliergis, Michael Astrapas, and Eutychios Astrapas. Some historians believe Kalliergis was one of his students due to the similarity in painting styles.

Stylistically, Art historians have pointed out a distinctive style in Manuel's works and striking similarities between various paintings attributed to him: their soft colors, the symmetrical rendering of the figures, and the uniqueness of form in compositions and proportions, especially in faces. More on Manuel Panselinos. More on Manuel Panselinos




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06 Paintings, Olympian deities, William Etty's Venus, with footnotes # 47

William Etty, RA (British, 1789-1849)
Venus
Oil on board
19.7 x 14.3cm (7 3/4 x 5 5/8in).
Private collection

Sold for £800 in 14, 2021

William Etty, RA (British, 1789-1849)
Venus
Oil on canvas
64.5 x 50.5cm (25 3/8 x 19 7/8in).
Private collection

Sold for £2,550 in September 2022

Venus is the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was revered in Roman religion under numerous cult titles.
The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin literature. In the later classical tradition of the West, Venus becomes one of the most widely referenced deities of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love and sexuality. More on Venus

William Etty, RA (British, 1789-1849)
Venus and Cupid
Oil on canvas
70 x 47cm (27 1/2 x 18 1/2in)
Private collection

Sold for £7,650 in September 2022

William Etty  (1787–1849)
The Toilet of Venus, between 1807 and 1849
Oil on canvas
height: 66 cm (25.9 in); width: 72.4 cm (28.5 in)
National Trust

This painting is characteristic of Etty, since many of his pictures consist of mythological characters worked up from extremely faithful studies of the female nude, drawn at the Academy Life School. Etty’s justification for painting the female nude so insistently was that he found ‘God’s most glorious work to be Woman’, and ‘that all human beauty had been concentrated in her’. Although there was much contemporary criticism of his work on the grounds of indecency, Etty was not deterred from his self-appointed task.

William Etty was a very unusual Victorian artist in dedicating himself almost exclusively to the depiction of the nude, which he painted in a glowing and sensual manner, reminiscent of Titian and Rubens. From his faithful studies undertaken at the Academy Life School, Etty produced many mythological and religious scenes, which he constantly subjected to the requirements of ideal art. More on this painting

William Etty
Venus and Cupid, c. 1830
York Art Gallery's collection

William Etty  (1787–1849)
Venus of Urbino (after Titian), c. 1823
Oil on canvas
height: 122.3 cm (48.1 in); width: 169 cm (66.5 in)
Royal Scottish Academy

Different tales exist about the origin of Venus and Cupid. Some say that Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, had a love affair with Mars, the god of war. Out of this relationship, Cupid was born. 

Cupid has attributes from both of his parents. Like his mother he is considered to be the god of love, or more precisely, the god of falling in love. He is portrayed as an innocent little child with bow and arrows. He shoots arrows to the heart, and awakening a love that you’re powerless to resist.

Venus and Cupid are often shown in intimate poses, reflecting the unique love between mother and child. More Venus and Love

William Etty RA (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, he left school at the age of 12 to become an apprentice printer in Hull. He completed his apprenticeship seven years later and moved to London, where in 1807 he joined the Royal Academy Schools. There he studied under Thomas Lawrence and trained by copying works by other artists. Etty earned respect at the Royal Academy of Arts for his ability to paint realistic flesh tones, but had little commercial or critical success in his early years in London. More on William Etty




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01 Painting, Olympian deities, Arthur Rackham's Andromeda, with footnotes # 46

Arthur Rackham, RWS (British, 1867-1939)
Andromeda
Watercolour and bodycolour
54.5 x 37.3cm (21 7/16 x 14 11/16in)
Private collection

Sold for £88,500 in September 2022

Rackham has applied his unique imagery and style to the myth of Andromeda. The princess has been chained to a rock as a sacrifice to sate the sea monster, Cetus, sent by Poseidon as punishment for Andromeda's mother's claim to be of greater beauty than the sea dwelling Nereids. Andromeda has recoiled in fear as she attempts not to look at the beast which makes its way towards her. The viewer can only anticipate the entry of Perseus, who famously comes to the rescue, but, as with so many Old Master paintings of the same subject, tension is created by his absence. Here, we can see the power of Rackham's imagery in propelling the emotional and narrative arc of his subjects. More on this painting

Andromeda is the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia's hubris leads her to boast that Andromeda is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage Aethiopia as divine punishment. Andromeda is stripped and chained naked to a rock as a sacrifice to sate the monster, but is saved from death by Perseus.
 
As a subject, Andromeda has been popular in art since classical times; it is one of several Greek myths of a Greek hero's rescue of the intended victim of an archaic hieros gamos, giving rise to the "princess and dragon" motif. From the Renaissance, interest revived in the original story, typically as derived from Ovid's account. More on Andromeda

Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. Rackham was born in Lewisham. In 1884, at the age of 17, he was sent on an ocean voyage to Australia to improve his fragile health. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.

In 1892, he left his job and started working for the Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator. His first book illustrations were published in 1893 in To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes, but his first serious commission was in 1894 for The Dolly Dialogues, the collected sketches of Anthony Hope, who later went on to write The Prisoner of Zenda. Book illustrating then became Rackham's career for the rest of his life.

By the turn of the century Rackham was regularly contributing illustrations to children's periodicals. Although acknowledged as an accomplished book illustrator for some years, it was the publication of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle by Heinemann in 1905 that particularly brought him into public attention, his reputation being confirmed the following year with J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, published by Hodder & Stoughton. Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912. His works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914. More on Arthur Rackham




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01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, Giovanni Battista Langetti's Joseph interprets the baker's dreams in prison, with Footnotes #216

Giovanni Battista Langetti
Joseph interprets the baker's dreams in prison
Oil on canvas
124 x 173 cm
Private collection

Estimate for 20,000 - 30,000 GBP in April 2015

Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. In prison, Joseph did the work of interpreting dreams for these politically connected individuals. Joseph met two of Pharaoh’s officials who were incarcerated, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

The chief baker he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.”  And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

There is another version of this subject by Langetti, with the same arrangement of figures but showing them in whole and with small differences to their posture, as well a different man in the background.

Giovanni Battista Langetti (1625–1676), also known as Giambattista Langetti, was an Italian late-Baroque painter. He was active in his native Genoa, then Rome, and finally for the longest period in Venice.

He first trained with Assereto, then Pietro da Cortona, but afterwards studied under Giovanni Francesco Cassana, appeared in Venice by the 1650s where he worked in a striking Caravaggesque style. He is thought to have influenced Johann Karl Loth and Antonio Zanchi. He painted many historical busts for private patrons in the Venetian territory and in Lombardy. He died at Venice in 1676. More on Giovanni Battista Langetti





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01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo's Virgin and Child, with Footnotes #215

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo (Spanish, Seville 1617–1682 Seville)
Virgin and Child, c. 1670s
Oil on canvas
65 1/4 x 43 in. (165.7 x 109.2 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Often referred to as the "Santiago Madonna," this painting once belonged to the Marqués de Santiago, whose collection contained many outstanding works by the artist. The popularity of Murillo’s paintings of the Virgin and Child derives from his ability to endow a timeworn theme with a quality of intimacy and sweetness evident in both the soft modeling and, in this picture, the infant’s momentary diversion of attention from nursing, as if in response to the viewer's presence. More on this painting

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (born late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618 – April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children. These lively, realist portraits of flower girls, street urchins, and beggars constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times. More on Bartolomé Esteban Murillo





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01 Painting, Olympian deities, North Italian School's Pan and Syrinx, with footnotes # 45

North Italian School
Pan and Syrinx, circa 1600
Oil on copper
21.3 by 29.5 cm.; 8 3/8  by 11 5/8  in.
Private collection

In classical Greek mythology, Syrinx was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity. Pursued by the amorous god Pan, she ran to a river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when the god's frustrated breath blew across them. Pan cut the reeds to fashion the first set of panpipes, which were thenceforth known as syrinx. The word syringe was derived from this word. More on Syrinx

Painting in 17th-century Italy was an international endeavor. Large numbers of artists traveled to Rome, especially, to work and study. They sought not only the many commissions being extended by the Church but also the chance to learn from past masters. Most of the century was dominated by the baroque style, whose expressive power was well suited to the needs of the Counter-Reformation Church for affecting images.

The drama and movement that characterized the baroque—in sculpture and architecture as well as painting—can be first seen, perhaps, in the work of Caravaggio, who died in 1610. His strong contrasts of light and dark and unblinking realism were taken up by many artists, including the Italian Orazio Gentileschi, the Spaniard Jusepe de Ribera, and the Frenchmen Valentin de Boulogne and Simon Vouet, all of whom worked in Italy. Other artists carried Caravaggio’s so-called tenebrist style to northern Europe.

The more classical approach of the Carracci and their students Guercino and Domenichino was also an important force in 17th-century painting. It provided a foundation for the rational clarity that structured the work of French artists Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, both of whom worked in Rome for most of their lives. More on the ITALIAN SCHOOL, (17th century)




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01 Work, Interpretation of the bible, Bartolomé Estebán Murillo's Virgin and Child with Saint John, with Footnotes #214

Bartolomé Estebán Murillo
The Virgin and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist
Oil on canvas
174.6 by 109 cm.; 68 3/4 by 42 7/8 in
Private collection

Sold for 269,000 GBP in April 2015 

Murillo’s many depictions of the Virgin and Child were enormously successful: he endowed a conventional Catholic subject with newfound intimacy through soft modeling and naturalistic details. Like Zurbarán and Velázquez, Murillo was trained in Seville, where he spent his whole career. More on this painting

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (born late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618 – April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children. These lively, realist portraits of flower girls, street urchins, and beggars constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times. More on Bartolomé Esteban Murillo





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07 Works, Interpretation of the bible, At Gaza in Palestine, Saint Porphyrius the bishop, with Footnotes #211

Unknown iconographer
Saint Porphyrius
Private collection

Porphyrius (c. 347–420): At Gaza in Palestine, Saint Porphyrius the bishop. Born at Thessalonica, he lived as an anchorite for fifteen years at Sceti, and just as many across the Jordan, outstanding in his kindness to the poor. Ordained afterwards as Bishop of Gaza, he overturned many temples of idolatry, and for a long time had to deal with harassment from their devotees, until he passed away in peace with the venerable holy ones.

Unknown iconographer
Porfiry Gazsky,  XVI century
Mural
Mount Athos, Dionysiath Monastery

At the age of twenty-five. Porphyry, a rich citizen of Thessalonica, left the world for one of the great religious houses in the desert of Scete. Here he remained five years, and then, finding himself drawn to a more solitary life, passed into Palestine, where he spent a similar period in the severest penance, till ill health obliged him to moderate his austerities. 

RELIGIOUS ENGRAVING 1890 - 1900
LIFE OF THE SAINT DIA SANTORAL - SAINT PORPHYRE Saint Porphyry of GAZA
ENGRAVING
25.9 X 17.9 CM
Private collection

Saint Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza. Being seriously ill, he arrived at Mount Calvary and Our Lord Jesus Christ and Saint Dismas (the Good Thief) appeared to him, who descended from his cross to lift him up and help him approach the Lord, there he took His cross and was cured.

He then made his home in Jerusalem, and in spite of his ailments visited the Holy Places every day; thinking, says his biographer, so little of his sickness that he seemed to be afflicted in another body, and not his own. About this time God put it in to his heart to sell all he had and give to the poor, and then in reward of the sacrifice restored him by a miracle to perfect health. In 393 he was ordained priest and intrusted with the care of the relics of the true cross; three years later, in spite of all the resistance his humility could make, he was consecrated Bishop of Gaza.

Unknown iconographer
Saint Porphyrios of Gaza
 I have no further description, at this time

That city was a hotbed of pagan-ism, and Porphyry found in it an ample scope for his apostolic zeal. His labors and the miracles which at- tended them effected the conversion of many; and an imperial edict for the destruction of the pagan temples, obtained through the influence of St. John Chrysostom, greatly strengthened his hands. 

Unknown iconographer
Destruction of all traces of heathen worship
I have no further description, at this time

When St. Porphyry first went to Gaza, he found there, one temple more splendid than the rest, in honor of the chief god. When the edict went forth to destroy all traces of heathen worship, St. Porphyry determined to put Satan to special shame where he had received special honor. A Christian church was built upon the site, and its approach was paved with the marbles of the heathen temple. Thus every worshipper of Jesus Christ trod the relics of idolatry and superstition underfoot each time he went to assist at the holy Mass.

He lived to see his diocese for the most part clear of idolatry, and died in 420.

His body is said to be buried in Saint Porphyrius' Church, in Gaza City, in Palestine. More on Saint Porphyrios of Gaza

Saint Porphyrius: The largest church in Gaza

Gaza has remained one of the Bishoprics of the Church of Jerusalem, its centre of veneration being the Church of St Porphyrios, built on the site of his tomb.

Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza





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26 Photographs, RELIGIOUS ART - Contemporay interpretations of the Bible by Ramon Martinez, Frantisek Drtikol, Stanislav Istratov, Alexandros Raskolnick, Fabien ROUIRE, Cindy Sherman, Sergey Bocharov and Marcel Duchamp, with footnotes

Ramon Martinez
Carrying The Cross
Photograph
Private collection

My name is Ramon Martinez. I work with experimental art in video, photography, 3D art, 3D animations, etc. about the subject the crucified female Christ.

I've started my art project since early 2005 and I've named my art project "Passion Of A Goddess".

"Many artists during the past 2000 years have been interested in the picture of a crucified Jesus. One of the reasons is probably that this subject offers a lot of symbolic value as well as possibilities to manifest different expressions. Although the question raised is why these artefacts are always male? In a few cases, Jesus portraitures as a female raise negative consequences from the conservative parts of the church. The idea that God can only be a man is an idea created in a society with male dominance. I would like to develop the idea that giving God a sex is not honest. These believers of the idea that God can only be represented as a man disregard the female half of the world´s population. And also its in my belief that a woman has greater ability to give love than a man. Christ represents the great love."

My art project tries also, to fight religious intransigence that tries to coerce the freedom of expression and individual freedoms recognized in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More on Ramon Martinez

Ramon Martinez
Female Jesus
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Dark Portrait Of A Female Jesus II
Private collection

Dark portrait of Jesus as woman. This image has been selected as cover of the German thriller "F￿n" by Gregor Eisenhauer

Ramon Martinez
Carrying The Cross II
Photograph
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Carrying The Cross III
Photograph
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Carrying The Cross V
Photograph
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Crucified woman in sepia
Photograph
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Suffering in light
Photograph
Private collection

Ramon Martinez
Experimental woman on cross
Photograph
Private collection

Frantisek Drtikol (1883-1961) 
Salome, c. 1919 
Pigment print 
8 x 10 3/8in. (20.2 x 26.2cm.) 
Private collection

František Drtikol (3 March 1883, Příbram – 13 January 1961, Prague) was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits. From 1907 to 1910 he had his own studio, until 1935 he operated an important portrait photostudio in Prague. Drtikol made many portraits of very important people and nudes which show development from pictorialism and symbolism to modern composite pictures of the nude body with geometric decorations and thrown shadows, where it is possible to find a number of parallels with the avant-garde works of the period. These are reminiscent of Cubism, and at the same time his nudes suggest the kind of movement that was characteristic of the futurism aesthetic.

Frantisek Drtikol (1883-1961)
Ervina Kupferova as Salome with the head of John the Baptist
Photograph
22 x 19.5 cm. (8.7 x 7.7 in.)
Private collection

FRANTIŠEK DRTIKOL (1883–1961)
Salome and ?ena a maska, 1924
gelatin silver prints
4 5/8 x 3 1/2 in. (11.8 x 9 cm.)
Private collection

He began using paper cut-outs in a period he called "photopurism". These photographs resembled silhouettes of the human form. Later he gave up photography and concentrated on painting. After the studio was sold Drtikol focused mainly on painting, Buddhist religious and philosophical systems. In the final stage of his photographic work Drtikol created compositions of little carved figures, with elongated shapes, symbolically expressing various themes from Buddhism. In the 1920s and 1930s, he received significant awards at international photo salons. More on František Drtikol

FRANTIŠEK DRTIKOL (1883–1961)
Salome, c. 1924
gelatin silver prints
carte-postale
8.27 X 11.54 in (21 X 29.3 cm)
Private collection

Drtikol, František
Untitled #33, (smiling nude with skull to her right [Salome])
Bromide print
image: 4 1/8 in x 5 1/16 in; mat: 16 in x 14 1/8 in; paper: 4 1/2 in x 6 5/16 in
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO

Drtikol, František
Untitled #95 (nude with skull to her left [Salome]
Bromide print
image: 4 1/8 in x 5 1/2 in; mat: 16 1/8 in x 14 in; paper: 4 1/2 in x 6 3/8 in
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO

Drtikol, František
Salomé (c. 1920).
Bromide print
9 1/4 in x 5 7/8 in; paper: 11 1/2 in x 8 7/8 in
Private collection

Drtikol, František
Untitled (nude reclined on ledge, crucifix hill background)
Bromide print
9 1/4 in x 5 7/8 in; paper: 11 1/2 in x 8 7/8 in
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO

1908 Vintage Theatre
Miss Lotta Faust
The Salome Dance in 'The Mimic World'
Private collection

Lotta Faust (February 8, 1880 – January 25, 1910) was an actress, dancer, and singer from Brooklyn, New York. She performed an interpretation of the Salome dance based on the Salome (play) (1893) by Oscar Wilde. More on Lotta Faust

Stanislav Istratov
Lucia
Private collection

Lucia is an ancient mythical figure with an abiding role as a bearer of light in the dark Swedish winters.

The Lucia tradition can be traced back both to St Lucia of Syracuse, a martyr who died in 304, and to the Swedish legend of Lucia as Adam’s first wife. It is said that she consorted with the Devil and that her children were invisible infernals. Thus the name may be associated with both lux (light) and Lucifer (Satan), and its origins are difficult to determine. The present custom appears to be a blend of traditions. More on Lucia

Stanislaw Istratov is a self thought photographer from Kiev. He just shoots amazing and stunning fashion photography. His photographs express some extreme feel. These photographs are picturised in a fantastic way and the costumes are just no words to express. He has used flowers and many fashionable accessories. The costumes are just stunning. More on Stanislaw Istratov

Alexandros Raskolnick
Étude de la Crucifixion
Private collection

"Photography has been my passion ever since I can remember. Once upon a time, when one had to feed cameras with film, I loved taking photos. Back then, every "click" mattered. Just after I bought my first digital camera, I realized that "clicks" were not so important anymore – at least not to me. Hence, I concluded that this new-age medium was not my cap of tea. Yet, my passion for photography has never ceased to burn inside me, despite the fact I am no longer a photographer, not only because I don't feel like taking digital photographs, but also because I can't afford to hire models or to set up a lab or a studio.

Instead, I use the digital instruments of our age to create my photo-collages, using the artwork of great photographers, some famous, others totally unknown to the general public, including at times to myself. Some people get furious with me because I "don’t have the right to use photographs without the consent of the creators". The fact that some of these great artists can't be asked because they have already passed away is irrelevant, since lawyers continue to stand by their bygone spirits! Legally speaking, this is probably a well-founded argument, although in my "legal" opinion, my work is an original derivative, as is L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp, considered a monumental work of art of our time, despite the fact that Duchamp never bothered to ask permission of Leonardo da Vinci's legal representatives [sic] to draw a mustache and beard in pencil on the Mona Lisa’s face, nor did he hesitate to append the title of the famous masterpiece! "(Alexandros Raskolnick youpic.com)

Fabien ROUIRE
Found God!
There is still no description of this artwork

Unknown
There is still no description of this artwork

Cindy Sherman
Untitled (Madonna), c. 1975
7 x 5 in (17.78 x 12.7 cm)
Gelatin silver print
Savannah College of Art and Designs

“In this black-and-white portrait, Sherman plays the role of the Madonna. Although she is shrouded in a white veil like a classically rendered religious figure, Sherman’s elongated eyelashes, accentuated lips and pomaded dual horn-like curls peeking out from beneath her veil play with the traditional historic depiction. Her stylized image could be a reference to the “new woman” of the 1920s whose liberated views on sexuality are in direct opposition to the virginal, biblical Madonna. Reprinted in the 1990s, the portrait may also be considered a reference to the contemporary and controversial pop singer of the same name.” More on this photograph

Cindy Sherman
Untitled (Judith?)
from the History portraits series, 1990
Chromogenic color print
6' 10 1/16" x 48" (208.4 x 122 cm)
The Museum of Modern Art

Judith looks boldly out at her audience and presents the head of Holofernes in her right hand, displaying the dagger she used to decapitate him in her left.  She is garbed in billowing red, blue, and green drapery and stands in front of a curtain made of pieces of brocaded and patterned fabric. Her head is tilted slightly to her left, much like the heroines in paintings by Botticelli; she likewise stands on a carpet of green grass speckled with flowers. But unlike Botticelli’s pristine and idealized nudes, Judith’s makeup is heavy-handed, almost tacky. The fabrics that at first seem to glimmer are, upon closer inspection, chintzy and cheap. And Holofernes’ head, which is usually frightening and powerful, looks like a used Halloween mask. More on this work

Cynthia Morris Sherman (born 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters.

Her breakthrough work is often considered to be the collected Untitled Film Stills, a series of 70 black-and-white photographs of herself evoking typical female roles in performance media (especially arthouse films and popular B-movies). In the 1980s, she used color film and large prints, and focused more on costume, lighting and facial expression. More on Cynthia Morris Sherman

Bocharov Sergey Petrovich
Eve, c. 1983
I have no further description, at this time

Bocharov Sergey Petrovich was born in Siberia. He graduated from the Krasnodar art school, the Studio of Nadia léger in Paris, the Russian Academy of arts in St. Petersburg, and the all-Union state Institute of cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow.

He works in genres of portrait, landscape, still life and others. A special place in the works of Sergei Bocharov is easel painting in the genre of group portrait, which expresses the theme of contemporary Russia.

His paintings are in the collections of Russian and foreign museums, private galleries and collections in Germany, Norway, Japan, Korea, France, USA, Italy.

The winner of the Grand Prix in France and in Italy. Italian prize - competition view of Venice, which is arranged for all artists of the world every 5 years. The last winner from Russia, to S. P. Bocharova, was 140 years ago Aivazovsky. As the winner of the contest, S. P. Bocharov had the right to sell a painting to the Museum of Italy for 50 thousand dollars. The artist brought her to Russia in the hope that someday she will be in the Russian Museum.

Overcoming difficulties, the Artist realizes every opportunity to show my paintings to the nation. His exhibitions were held in overcrowded halls in Moscow, Vladimir, Ryazan, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-don, Zernograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Arzamas. Lives and works in Moscow. More on Bocharov Sergey Petrovich

Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)
Adam and Eve (Marcel Duchamp and Bronia Perlmutter), c. 
1924
Gelatin silver print
11 1/8 x 8 9/16 inches (28.2 x 21.7 cm) 
 Philadelphia Museum of Art

Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. 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 pioneering photography, and was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. He 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 CollectorMythologyMarine ArtPortrait of a Lady, The OrientalistArt of the Nude and The Canals of VeniceMiddle East Artists365 Saints365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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