Cupid & Psyche, c. 1710/1720
Giovanni Battista Foggini
I took a keen personal interest in this piece. The story that birthed the tale Beauty and the Beast...only there really was no Beast. I digress...Psyche only wanted to see Cupid for what he really was. When she did, he left her. They got back together once she made all of these personal sacrifices...in addition to giving away a portion of her beauty. The more I become familiar with this great tale, the more I find a commonality in comparison to relationships today. All seriousness aside, the representation in this piece doesn't exactly offer up what I would consider to be a match made in heaven. My god, is she bedding her nephew? Sorry if I've offended you Foggini. Your brilliance shines from the folds in the fabric.
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Concert in a Garden, c. 1750Filipo Falciatore
This piece is by far the most interesting we ran across that day (in my humble opinion). The Concert in the Garden shows exactly that; a concert in a garden. We found it especially interesting that while society's charmers were fanning away in the sun, singing songs of fancy...three people in the painting appear to be middle class: the woman holding her baby on the balcony (Michael Jackson style), the peasant at work, and the man in upperclass clothing revealing a look of what appears to be disgust. We had some conversation as to what this man was so disgusted about and agreed that he was simply agitated by the fact that those surrounding him have very little knowledge of what its like to put in a hard day's work. How it must be nice to appreciate only the finest things in life and act as if your experience might have contributed to the pomegranate juice that took eight weeks to produce. It sure is comforting to know that the economical/political divide that exists today was present from the beginning. I digress...this blog just wouldn't be the same without an injection of humor. What else could this man possibly be thinking? Here are a few thoughts that come to mind:
- "I cannot believe that bitch stood me up last night"
- "I could really use that cane, my back is killing me!"
- "This isn't a concert, it's a bloody picnic!"
- "Bitches be crazy"
- "Its getting hot in here, lets take off all our clothes..."
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I've included my favorite painting of all time, for good measure.The Kiss, c. 1907/1908
Gustav Klimt
*Disclaimer: The opinions and ideas expressed above in no way represent the opinions or ideas of the DIA, the artists, or any person who is otherwise compensated, or not, for reviewing artistic works of high regard.
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