Day: October 18, 2020

A Christmas Party

~ JezzieG

Form: Cornish Sonnet

The shepherds came from their sheep on the hills
And peasants came too; a moment to see
The animals joining in, angels in frills
All joined together in days old and wild
Turning point of religious history
They’re all gathering to adore a child
A shining star to guide travelling kings
They’re bearing gifts; a cup of pure gold
Frankincense too, and myrrh of all strange things
From men of wisdom travelling so far
Sigils of life, living, and death: so bold
The gifts of the kings who followed the star
They’re all gathering to adore a child
The gifts of the kings who followed the star
The Adoration of Kings by Jean Gosseart, 1510-15, oil on oak. Located in the collection of the National Gallery, London, UK

©JGFarmer2020

L.H.O.O.Q by Marcel Duchamp

~ JezzieG

L.H.O.O.Q
1919
Conceptual Art
Collotype
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Duchamp’s L.H.O.O.Q. is an altered postcard reproduction of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. For this assisted readymade, he pencilled a goatee and moustache over the Mona Lisa’s chin and upper lip and retitled the work. The French pronunciation of the letters can be read as ‘Elle a chaud au cul’ which translates as ‘She has a hot ass.’ In L.H.O.O.Q. Duchamp starts with the representation of an iconic masterpiece that he takes off its pedestal by playfully debunking it. Endowing the Mona Lisa with masculine attributes he alludes to Da Vinci’s homosexuality and gestures at the androgynous nature of creativity.

Marcel Duchamp
Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Conceptual Art, Kinetic Art
Born: 28 July 1887, Normandy, France
Nationality: French
Died: 2 October 1968, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

By challenging the notion of what is art with his readymades, Duchamp is one of few artists that changed the course of art history. He sent shock waves across the art world that are still rippling today.

Madonna and Child with Saint Stephen, the Baptist, and a Donor (Dresden Altarpiece) by Parmigianino

~ JezzieG

Madonna and Child with Saint Stephen, the Baptist, and a Donor (Dresden Altarpiece)
1540
Renaissance, Mannerism
Oil on panel
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, Germany

The vertilinear composition of this painting gives it an otherworldly effect. The palm branch at the left of the frame, St. Stephen’s other arm holding one of the stones used to kill him, and the Baptist’s cross form a trinity-scaffolding for the more fluid elements of the painting. From the folds in the fabric of the clothing of the saints, to the weighting of their arms, they hold their bodily posture on the steps, masterfully observed by the artist. St. Stephen looks out challengingly at the viewer, brandishing the heavy stone. It is an emphatic evocation of his martyrdom, and a willingness towards the achievement of divinity through sacrifice.

Parmigianino
Mannerism, Renaissance, Italian Renaissance
Born: 11 January 1503, Parma, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Died: 24 August 1540, Casalmaggiore, Italy

Parmigianino was one of the leading painters of Palma, he also worked in Rome and Bologna. Ranking as one of the most compelling artists with a daring and readiness to confront the orthodoxies of the day Parmigianino was a leading figure of the Mannerist style

Brief Encounter

~ JezzieG

Form: English Sonnet

Brief Encounter

Washed up on the high tide line on the shore,
A miracle lies amongst the debris.
A rose from deep in the ocean’s blue core,
Her presence on the beach is most eerie.
The crowds gather around to look and stare,
The cameras snap in action for the press.
On front pages she will be laid out bare,
How she got there, that is anyone’s guess.
The rays of sun spark on the silver scale,
Like lost gemstones just lying in the pool.
Her soft skin is as newly washed linen, pale,
Seeks the caress of the tide’s gentle cool.
The ebb and flow of the returning tide,
Carries her to the azure deep to reside.

©JGFarmer2008