New track from a new artist. Munch is a young spitta who I see being very popular here on hailmegatron.net. Anyways, check out his new track “I’m Single”. Oh, and if you’re reading this Munch… my bad about the email. Honest slip, I promise.

Cop the track after the break.

- Megatron

DOWNLOAD: Munch aka M.U. Buccs – I’m Single

Primo post della categoria Arte
Urge spiegazione sul motivo della sua presenza in questo blog!

Una volta definii Opera d’Arte un Manga; furono in molti a rispondermi con aria di superiorità: “Uno stupido fumetto non potrà mai essere Opera d’Arte!”
Restai colpita, non sapevo se sentirmi risentita o imbarazzata… perché in effetti mi suonava un po’ strano paragonare un Manga a, per esempio, La Divina Commedia… Ma mi sembrava comunque strano portare a paragone anche molte delle opere moderne considerate Arte…

Non contenta, continuai a rifletterci su. Mi domandai quale fosse il vero significato di Arte e di Opera d’Arte, ma le risposte che trovavo non facevano altro che scontrarsi l’una con l’altra. Arrivai soltanto a delle mezze e contraddittorie conclusioni:

Opera d’Arte è qualcosa capace di trasmettere un messaggio.
Ma così le grandi opere de l’Art pour l’Art create solo per estetica non dovrebbero essere incluse.

Opera d’Arte è qualcosa capace di regalarti un’emozione.
Ma i Manga mi emozionano… e fin troppo!

Opera d’Arte è qualcosa che sopravvive nel tempo.
Ma allora l’Arte moderna non dovrebbe rientrare nella categoria.

Opera d’Arte è qualcosa che raccoglie pareri positivi in ogni dove.
Ma la Gioconda non piace certo a tutti… e poi a molti un’opera potrebbe piacere solo perché condizionati dalla società e da quelli che dicono di capirci in merito! (Gente da evitare)

Alla fine di tutti questi pensieri (@.@), compresi che quelli che mi avevano contestato non avevano mai minimamente riflettuto sul significato di Arte e Opera d’Arte. E mi spiace per loro, perché a me è piaciuta molto come riflessione.

★★★

Cosa è quindi Arte? Sì, tu laggiù! Arte potrebbe essere anche quello che stai mangiando!

Da Wiki: Arte, nel suo significato più ampio, comprende ogni attività umana – svolta singolarmente o collettivamente – che, poggiando su accorgimenti tecnici, abilità innate e norme comportamentali derivanti dallo studio e dall’esperienza, porta a forme creative di espressione estetica. L’Arte è anche connessa alla capacità di trasmettere emozioni, per cui le espressioni artistiche, pur puntando a trasmettere “messaggi”, non costituiscono un vero e proprio linguaggio, in quanto non hanno un codice inequivocabile condiviso tra tutti i fruitori, ma al contrario vengono interpretate soggettivamente.

L’arte comprende tanti generi, tanti mondi, tanti universi! Arte è manga e animazione, film, musica, colonne sonore, libri, monumenti, architettura, piatti culinari, siti web, oggetti, fotografie, pittura, scultura, pezzi di roba mai vista… Tutto quel che la mente umana partorisce e concretamente realizza!

Arte ti provoca un brivido, ma non smette di esserlo se quel brivido lo senti soltanto tu! L’Arte è soggettiva!

L’Arte s’indirizza prima di tutto a chi la fa e poi a tutti gli altri.

L’arte può sopravvivere nel tempo come pure sparire dall’oggi al domani.

Opera d’Arte o anche “Capolavoro” è invece quel qualcosa che si distingue all’interno della stessa Arte e all’interno del genere di cui fa parte. All’interno dell’universo Manga si potrà trovare l’opera che più di altre appare meravigliosa ai nostri occhi, lo stesso varrà per tutti gli altri generi.

E chi è a decidere che una determinata opera possa essere eletta Opera d’Arte? La solita, stupida società? No, anche se non smetterà d’imporsi per far pensare a tutti la stessa cosa. Ma in realtà… Ogni individuo può scegliere la sua di Opera d’Arte, ne ha il pieno diritto… è tutto così stramaledettamente, fantasticamente soggettivo! ^^

Dunque… Ignorate quelli che vi spingono verso il marciapiede su cui scorre la massa di persone allucinate e senza cervello, senza individualità, prive del loro vero “io”. Prendete piuttosto la strada, affiancatevi a Munch, che è lì dispalle che cammina come un’ombra e decidete cosa per voi è Opera d’Arte, cosa veramente vi piace!

Un post chilometrico solo per dire che questa categoria raggrupperà tantissime sottocategorie, tutte dedicate al fare Arte xD Cof cof!Non smettete mai di fare Arte!

Intervista. Il caso Ron Houben, che riesce a comunicare dopo 23 anni? «Un uomo vale anche da fermo». All’estetica moderna non piacciono i risvegli, «ma solo il caso Pistorius».

«Il morbo di Cronach ha ucciso le menti di tutti. Siamo sull’attualità di basso rango, analisi di omicidi di cui nulla ci interessa dal punto di vista esistenziale. Dobbiamo rifarci il senno, io sono per la chirurgia etica. Rouben? Il suo urlo racconta la complessità del problema, siamo diventati dei plastici della vita, non parliamo mai di cosa succede dentro un corpo e un’anima» dice al telefono Alessandro Bergonzoni a proposito del quarantaseienne belga considerato in «stato vegetativo permanente» da 23 anni dopo la paralisi per un incidente stradale.
Ron Houben, grazie a un computer, ha riassunto in una frase l’altro dramma, quello del risveglio invisibile: «Urlavo ma non riuscivo a far sentire la mia voce». Mentre la realtà era diversa: «Vivo e vegeto. Ma soprattutto vivo!», come lo slogan coniato dall’attore e scrittore bolognese per l’associazione Amici di Luca di cui da anni è testimonial. Costituita nel 1997 per provvedere alle cure necessarie per risvegliare Luca, ragazzo bolognese di 15 anni in coma per 240 giorni e purtroppo scomparso nel 1998, l’associazione è riuscita a dar vita alla “Casa dei Risvegli”, un centro innovativo di riabilitazione e di ricerca inaugurato nel 2004 a Bologna nell’Ospedale Bellaria. Il primo slogan di Bergonzoni fu: «Un cavallo che vale lo danno vincente, un uomo in coma lo danno per perso, io punto tutto sui risvegli».

Oggi quanto vale un uomo in coma? «Il problema è culturale, scientifico, spirituale. Si è stabilito che conta solo il corpo che funziona per intero, che tutto deve essere indirizzato all’utilità, al desiderio, alla produzione e quindi culturalmente il terreno per poter parlare di queste cose è friabile e poco fertile. Scientificamente, siamo di fronte a ex ministri della sanità che dicono “curiamo i vivi e lasciamo perdere i morti”. Ma le certezze che la scienza sbandierava (non all’unanimità però), non ci sono più. Non voglio citare Eluana: non sono né contro né per, non sono in contrasto come invece la scienza che dogmaticamente dice “questo è, e non altro”. Noi dobbiamo andare oltre».

È sufficiente il clamore perché se ne parli in maniera approfondita? «No. L’interruzione dà fastidio a meno che non diventi Pistorius, o un testimone dello spettacolo. Perché allora diventa produttiva. Chi non vuole vedere solo l’estetica, rimane da solo. Non sono innocue queste trasmissioni, hanno costruito il mito della bellezza unica. Su internet qualcosa di diverso si trova, ma è evidente che domina la tv. È andata persa la dignità, facciamo un festival!». Quale è l’atteggiamento dei media? «Fanno attività di distrazione di massa. Ti aiutano a pensare ad altro, tutto è divertimento. Cosa resta? Lasciamo il dolore in mano ai Signorini? Ma stiamo scherzando? Non bisogna più produrre certa cultura. La pornografia è il non parlare di altro. Non abbiamo concepito davvero la diversità. Su nero e bianco e rumeno, parliamo tranquillamente. Ma sull’inguardabile, siamo a zero. In tempo di crisi, è difficile raccontare che un corpo non produce e non può dare ma che pure racconta e dà per sé».

Ci sono altri casi di invisibili risvegli? «Uno è Giampiero Steccato, ex impiegato delle ferrovie di Piacenza, è paralizzato da oltre 10 anni perché affetto dalla sindrome locked-in. Ma grazie agli assistenti, come nel racconto dello scafandro e la farfalla di Bauby, riesce a comunicare anche se muove solo un mignolo, le sopracciglia, però ci sente. Anni fa ha chiesto di vivere, ma nessuno l’ha mai intervistato o portato in tv. Interessa a qualcuno? Questo è il tema. Si continua a parlare di norme, ma non di enorme. Noi facciamo una campagna da cinque anni, ma mica il tifo. Non dobbiamo vincere, né perdere, ma concepire l’inconcepibile come concepibile. Ron ha dimostrato che come con Munch, esiste l’urlo della vita».

Perchè ne fa anche una questione spirituale? «Spirituale, ma non non religiosa. L’anima di Kandinsky e Terzani la festeggiano ovunque nei festival, ma poi tutti tornano a casa e si parla di norme. Non esiste una cultura su cosa sia un essere. Se è fermo e non parla è morto, se non produce e non fa sorriso, è morto. Quando smetteremo di parlare di morte, di uccisioni, di giallisti, e cominceremo ad affrontare ben altri misteri? Lasciare questo discorso solo alla Chiesa o alla scienza? Io non ci sto. Su Ron la scienza si rode le mani, “sta a vedere c’è dell’altro”. Nessuno parla delle altre medicine se non della medicina unica, e il resto del pianeta? Ora tratteranno Ron come un caso eccezionale o un miracolo, tra Chiesa e laici va sempre a finire in questo modo. Nessuno vede la malattia o il danno come metamorfosi o rinascita. La realtà è che sono i sani che si devono risvegliare. Che hanno mancanza di amore per lo sconosciuto. Perché fa paura. “Dobbiamo ritrattare anni e anni di scienza?” Mi sa di sì».

Fa comodo la definizione di «stato vegetativo permanente»? «Certo, così siamo tutti sicuri e non abbiamo più paura. Raccontiamo invece altre scelte. Non è che bisogna vivere a tutti i costi, Welby non è stato disumano. Ma l’automatismo o così o altrimenti no, è pornografia. Faccio continuamente incontri negli ospedali, all’università. La gente mi dice “ma questa è poesia…”. Il mio vuole essere un r’acconto, erre apostrofo acconto, un acconto di tante verità perchè non c’è più una banca dati ufficiale».

E la politica? «I nostri politici sono quelle persone che hanno avuto all’asilo l’educazione della paura. I sani fanno case, affittano, producono. Tutta la malattia è letta attraverso il codice della finanza e dell’economia. Siamo ammalati di prodotto. “Una vita così non la vorrei fare” dice sempre qualcuno: ma è un problema tuo! Loro la vorrebbero fare! Questo è il delitto, altro che chiedere ai giovani di aggiustare la lingua italiana. Come per gli handicap dei giovani. Bisogna insegnare ai loro coetanei a rapportarsi con l’handicap. Qui si discute sul crocefisso, ma hai dentro qualcosa per andare a leggere i martoriati? La scienza se non fa filosofia non parte, e la medicina sbaglia se si crede di essere da sola, è il silenzio dei sani».

Adesso cosa succederà? «In realtà sono disperato, perchè chissà quante altre persone stanno provando a chiedere ascolto come Ron. Non mancano le strutture, manca l’ascolto, prima ancora di broncoaspirazione, o della diatriba sull’alimentazione. Insomma, chi è che da oggi andrà dagli sfasciacarrozze a cercare dei motori da salvare?». Fiction estreme come Dr. House possono aiutare a raccontare questa complessità? «House un minimo lo fa, ma è sempre spettacolo, crea assuefazione. Quei casi li conosci cronologicamente, ma non fai un lavoro su te stesso. La fiction resta fiction. Queste cose sono complesse, e soprattutto non sicure. Picasso, Bacon, Artaud parlavano di paure e insicurezza, e non delle città sane».

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This is based on an earlier post but with additional favorites:

I am a huge art fanatic, dedicating as much time to it as writing and music. These aren’t new artists. They are the masters from the past who I’ve admired for years and years. My all-time favorites.

…

Name: Henri Matisse

Country: France

Style: Fauvism, Modernism

…

Name: Salvador Dali

Country: Spain

Style: Dadaism, Surrealism

…

Name: Hieronymus Bosch

Country: Netherlands

Style: Renaissance

…

Name: Rene Magritte

Country: Belgium

Style: Surrealism

…

Name: Giorgio De Chirico

Country: Greek, Italy

Style: Surrealism

…

Name: Diego Rivera

Country: Mexico

Style: Mexican Muralist, Social Realism

…

Name: Paul Klee

Country: Germany, Swiss

Style: Expressionism, Surrealism

…

Name: Edvard Munch

Country: Norway

Style: Expressionism

…

Name: Pablo Picasso

Country: Spain

Style: Cubism

…

Name: Rufino Tamayo

Country: Mexico

Style: Muralist, Mixografia

…

Name: Wasily Kandinsky

Country: Russia

Style: Expressionism, Bauhaus

…

Name: Franz Marc

Country: Germany

Style: Expressionism

…

Name: Eugene Delacroix

Country: France

Style: Romanticism

…

Name: David Alfaro Siqueiros

Country: Mexico

Style: Mexican Muralist, Social Realism

…

Name: Marcel Duchamp

Country: France, U.S.

Style: Dadaism, Surrealism

…

Name: Francisco Goya

Country: Mexico

Style: Romanticism

…

Name: Juan Gris

Country: Spanish

Style: Cubism

…

Name: Willem de Kooning

Country: Netherlands

Style: Abstract Expressionism

…

Name: George Grosz

Country: Germany

Style: Dadaism, New Objectivity

…

Name: Joan Miro

Country: Spain

Style: Dadaism, Surrealism

…

Name: Paul Signac

Country: France

Style: Pointilism, Neo-Impressionism

…

Name: Georges Rouault

Country: France

Style: Fauvism, Expressionism

…

Name: Wilfredo Lam

Country: Cuba

Style: Modernism, Cubism, Surrealism

…

Name: Vincent Van Gogh

Country: Netherlands

Style: Post-Impressionism

by Isaure Cointreau

When I said I was going to Oslo for a couple of days the reactions I got were very uncanny. Normally everybody feels excitement upon the topic of travel but here utter surprise was in order.

-         Oslo, really? What are you going to do in Finland?

-         Try Norway. Finland is bit further east.

Looking for new sights to explore and a breath of fresh air, what could be a better idea than to check out a Scandinavian country? The whole prospect does have an edgy look to it though depends  what you are into. I for my part was not deceived. Arriving at Oslo with a Ryan Air 15£ return ticket, I was an hour bus ride away from the centre of the capital. Checking in at the Anker Hostel, this cheap way to put a roof above my head accommodated me with six Swedish roommates. Only a few blocks away from the interesting spots of the city, one only has to choose where he wants to start.

There are tons of sights to get acquainted to and although Oslo is a really nice and easy walk it is not as small as it feels. Public transportation is really accessible and well organized. You can then go from one point of the city to another in no time. However, if you ever get lost don’t be afraid to ask, I’ve never met so warm hearted people and they’ll gladly help you out. Plus, everyone speaks perfect English as if they were natives.  French and Italians can blush!

A good place to start your visit would be to follow Karl Johans gate. The Cathedral, the Parliament, the Oslo University, the National Theatre and the Palace set the background of this high end street. I must admit the architecture is mostly impressive although I was very much deceived by the royal residency. Too plain or too simple, the least would be to say that I was more impressed by its incredible view of the city and its gardens than the building itself. In terms of museum there are several not to miss. The National Gallery is one of them and has a wide varied collection of artists from Norway and afar. There, I was introduced to Kittelsen’s trolls and breathtaking landscapes,  Krohg’s exceptional portraits and “mise en scene”.

On the account of renowned Norwegian artists Munch, Ibsen and Vigeland are the pride and joy of the country. Therefore they all have a private space where their work is exposed. For one the Munch museum is a must see. Offering a true understanding of the artist’s perspective on live and art, this place is a cave of wonders. Ibsen, best known for Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabbler and The doll’s house had his own apartment turned into the museum of his life, plays and success. Let it be an introduction for those who don’t know Oslo’s favourite playwright. Other than that the Vigeland sculpture park is the most amazing experience I have ever had in a city garden. With as many as 212 statues the sculptor has shaped in clay lively and profound scenes of humanism. From children to the elderly, love to hate, peace to war, this park offers a parallel between life and death.

As far as food and drinks are concerned Oslo is a minefield of cute and trendy, rocky, jazzy and classic sites. Karl Johans Gate, the city centre’s main road offers a wide range of choices. I would recommend Samson for breakfast for its yummy traditional pastries. Although Norwegian’s are really big on sandwiches  with their coffee in the morning, try a selection of their desserts. If you like almonds you are in for a treat! For lunch I loved Lorry with it eccentric/attic look. You’ll find yourself eating with a bunch of antiquities such as a stuffed giraffe and zebra, army caps and wild art. Being the place to be for intellectuals and people within the arts, the quirky look of this place and your salmon will be quite the experience. Looking forward to a break? Stop by the local jazz bar held by Norwegian icon Bodil Anbefaler. It’s great music and fun people in a cosy (almost New York style) atmosphere.  The Bare Jazz AS on Grensen Street is one of my favourite spots in the city. Other than that I really enjoyed dinner at Cathedral. In a weird solemn candlelight ambiance, the heavy wood of the furniture recall a medieval look. The food is amazing, and the photos shot in this small pub-like restaurant are incredible ( as if Georges de La tour had guided the light effects of our snapshots.

It was so nice up North, I guess I have a little crush on Oslo. Inspiring me the desire to know more about Scandinavian countries, let’s consider this  the beginning of my exploration of the Baltic. It’ll take time but I can only dream about it.

“Ha, dag Ella. Het is hier Simon. Ik wens u een gelukkige verjaardag. Ik heb gisteren trouwens een litho van Munch voor u laten stelen in Oslo. Ik hoop dat ge daar veel plezier aan beleeft.”

U raadt het. Het leukste verjaardagsbericht kwam dit jaar van Simon.

Edvard Munch - El grito

Por el bien del Arte, espero que a éste no lo recuperen.

Inicio

De afgelopen weken was ik bezig met een kleine Eurotrip. (vandaar zo weinig activiteit op dit blog.)
Ik heb o.a. Oslo en natuurlijk het Much Museum bezocht. Één van de best beveiligde musea.
Edvard Much is blijkbaar populair op de zwarte markt want vannacht is er weer een werk van hem gestolen. dit keer een litho uit een galerie maar toch. lees meer.

madonna - edvard munch

Set in a beautiful park overooking across the Kolding Fjord in the southern Danish Syddanmark Region, the Trapholt Museum of art, design and handicraft presents a splendid art exhibition this autumn under the title Love at first sight. The exhibition, which runs through February 28, 2010, features works from the famed German Würth collection, making a stroll through 20th century international modern art. From impressionism to expressionism, surrealism, op art and pop art, meet the likes of great names in European and American art: Munch, Baselitz, Magritte, Pissarro, Kiefer, Lichtenstein, Kapoor, Warhol and many others.
more…

The 2009 International Fine Print Dealers Association Print Fair is on until 8 November 2009 at the historic Park Avenue Armory, an amazing late nineteenth-century building with a massive, arched main hall that is much like a grand European train station shed. The fair features prints of works from all periods, exhibited by over 80 art dealers. If I could have purchased three prints, they would have been:

1) Wilhelm Laage’s Sur la plage (1906), a simple woodcut impression, on grey paper, of a cloaked and hatted woman standing on the beach. $2,000.

2) Andy Warhol’s Happy Butterfly Day (1955), a hand-colored offset lithograph buzzing with cheerful pink, orange, and yellow butterflies. $20,000.

3) Edvard Munch’s Death in the Sickroom (1895), which depicts family members—seated, standing, pacing, praying—dealing with tragedy in the room. $140,000.

Happy Butterfly Day

Bremer Innensenator macht Polizei-Reviere um 17 Uhr dicht

Eigentlich sollten in Bremen 2600 Polizisten im Dienst sein. Tatsächlich sind es aber nur 2480. Und weil das Personal so knapp ist, greift der Innensenator jetzt zu drastischen Maßnahmen.

Mäurer in einer Antwort auf eine FDP-Anfrage: „Wir beabsichtigen eine erneute Änderung der Öffnungszeiten. Statt bisher um 20 Uhr, schließen die Wachen unter der Woche schon um 17 Uhr.“

Zitat

29.10.2009 – 00:19 UHR

http://www.bild.de/BILD/regional/bremen/aktuell/2009/10/29/polizei-reviere/innensenator-macht-sie-um-17-uhr-dicht.html

Meine Meinung:

Damit der Krieg gegen kriminelle ausländische Großfamilien auch Erfolg hat, werden jetzt die Reviere schon um 17.00 Uhr statt um 20.00 Uhr geschlossen, wegen Personalmangel. Die Kriminellen im dunkelrot-grünen Bremen können dann 2 Stunden früher auf Tour gehen.

Also liebe Bremer, ab 17.00 Uhr Tür abschließen und besser in der Wohnung bleiben.

Felix

Rückblick

Bremer Polizei kapituliert vor krimineller  kurdisch-türkisch-libanesischer Großfamilie. Zu der Familie gehören allein in Bremen und in der Umgebung mindestens 1.500 Familienmitglieder

http://deutschelobby.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/bremer-polizei-kapituliert-vor-krimineller-turkischer-grosfamilie/

Bremen : Polizeipräsident Münch erklärt Miris den Krieg

Jetzt reicht es den verantwortlichen Politikern. Polizeipräsident Holger Münch will in diesem Jahr zum großen Schlag gegen die kriminellen kurdisch-libanesischen Großfamilien ausholen.

http://deutschelobby.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/bremen-polizeiprasident-munch-erklart-grosfamilie-miris-den-krieg/

I keep wanting to express what I’m going through here, and drawing a blank. Possibly because for the first time in my memory I’m not analyzing my process, I’m just feeling what I’m going through. For the past four weeks, I have been a willing tumbleweed in gale-force winds, and it feels amazing, but the past few days it’s been overwhelming.

Throwing down the maximum security walls for partner started a chain reaction of coming out, and having some very in depth, long conversations with people in my community about my sexuality and gender, and specifically about sadism. Which has felt something like a dam crumbling slightly at the top, then suddenly exploding with the force of the river behind it. And I’ve just been going with it, things and feelings that I never even knew about within myself. The response has been a rather shocking level of support and acceptance, which in retrospect seems obvious. Every single day I’ve said something like, “I don’t know that I’ve ever felt his way before,” because every day I feel completely different and new, and it’s happening so damn fast.

I don’t know how to manifest what I feel, present as what I am, or what to do about any of it, except unravel and reweave my baggage as a human being.

I moved to a new sleeping place, and the past week I’ve woken up three or four times a night. My entirely life, I have always slept. Very. Deeply. I have slept through hurricanes and tornadoes (but not earthquakes). The moon is so bright in this new place, and where I slept before was dark. I’ve been having these intense, vivid dreams, of being initiated into a third gender through ceremony, of sharing a lover with my partner’s partner who was not my partner. Even when I don’t remember the dreams in the morning I immediately have this full, potent, overwhelming feeling that I associate with my process.

Last night I never stopped waking up, hovering somewhere between awakening and dreaming, rolling, tossing, moaning, rearranging the blanket, waking up exhausted.  With a headache. (What is that?) And always present is this feeling, right now revolving around my gender, a confluence of– something. I’ve started feeling like a woman again, or maybe more accurately more feminine. But more steadily in this ebbing cycle of exploration I feel like both-neither.

The other night, a woman I wrote about before as not being able to understand said to me over dinner, “You know, today I was watching two of my co-workers, and I watched one of them snap a towel at the other so hard it probably broke the skin. And he was just gleeful, totally enjoying it, and the other guy was like, ‘Oeghhhh!‘” She made a scrunched up face. “They were both laughing so hard, and I suddenly had a flash of what it was like to enjoy that, to enjoy pain, and giving it. And you know, they’ve been doing this for a while, you can always hear them, the snap of the towel –it’s loud– then laughter. They’ve been walking around in shorts with welts on their legs all summer. It was really neat to have that insight.”

Just over dinner, with everyone. It was amazing. To have that topic brought up, by someone else, over dinner.

Something came to me the other day. Partner’s partner, after overlooking this blog, said to me, “I really see no indication that you’re attracted to women.” Ever since acknowledging my attraction to other genders and sexes, I’ve felt vaguely guilty when I continue to be more consistently attracted to male people with man genders. Like I have this idea that my attraction has to be equal for all genders or I’m not doing it right. And I realized that in my fantasies, I’m not fantasizing about women per se, but people who are female. I feel more attraction toward other gendered people with female bodies than I feel for women at present. Whatever the hell ‘woman’ actually is. For some reason that factor doesn’t stop me from being consistently attracted to male people with man genders, maybe because I was socialized to. Whatever. When I think of being sexual with the women around me I draw a blank. When I think of their body types, I think hot.

The other night I tallied up very approximate rankings for how often I fantasize about which kind of people and it came out roughly like this:

1. Male people, or male men
2. People with male bodies and female genitals
3. Male people with non-man genders, especially those presenting as culturally feminine, and female people presenting as culturally masculine (I had a couple of years in my late teens where I consistently fantasized about being with transwomen and transmen)
4. Female people who felt distinctly not like women, and people with bodies somewhere on the spectrum between female and male

I am noticing that ‘woman’ is not appearing in my list. So who knows where that will end up.

While I am thinking about it, I want to pimp the book The Spirit and the Flesh: Sexual Diversity in American Indian Culture by Walter L. Williams, which documents one of the alternative genders in many indigenous peoples of North America: Male people who dressed and behaved androgynously, mixing men and women’s clothing and work, usually having sex with masculine men, and for many peoples performing esteemed spiritual functions. One of the things I appreciated most was the author’s distinction between a male person being feminine, and being non-masculine, and being androgynous. In later chapters Williams drew parallels to modern urban gay subculture and other male same-sexual institutions in non-tribal societies, but on the whole I thought he did a good job of differentiating cultural identity from sexual acts. Williams wrote this before the popularization of the term Two Spirit among modern North American peoples, so he uses the term ‘berdache’, which was accepted in the anthropological community for many years, and seems to have largely been abandoned since it essentially means ‘catamite.’ He also has an annoying tendency to refer to the person who is around the cock as being the ‘passive’ sexual partner, and the person inside the anus or the mouth as the ‘active’ sexual partner, but I just had to keep reminding myself that he was using the standard terminology of his field.

Back to where I am in my process. Partner has been away for a month now, on a trip of indefinite proportions. It is sad, glad, and exciting. I’m finding myself exploring my sexuality with myself again, and my masochism has wriggled into the forefront for attention. I realized that based on my experiences bottoming I enjoy it, I would do it again, and I really see no conflict with my dominance. I’ve been untangling my fantasies, feeling for the relationship that fulfills me underlying each act and dynamic.

I’ve been wanting to start learning rope again. I was going to buy some hemp, but Zac planted the nefarious idea in my brain at the first KinkForAll that I could make my own, so I got a simple rope machine (waaaaay to lazy and unskilled at the moment to build my own). I’m feeling a lot more open to finding nearby BDSM groups than I was, so I’m going to try to find an active munch and see where it goes. Also a genderqueer group if one is near the munch and I can hit them in one fell swoop.

Because I am fell, goddamnit. Very fell.

A munch is a gathering of people who are to some degree interested in or curious about the kinkier side of life. That BDSM stuff…

Pretty tame and very safe as fetish clothing is not usually worn and people meet in restaurants, bars, lounges – safe public places.

Sometimes though there is room for some careful and discreet shenanigans like tying a pretty napkin around one’s ankle. Ho-hum, it could be a scarf that I wear, right?

Then again someone could be tied to a chair with that same napkin. Purr- purr.

Women combing their hair has always been a magnificent and revealing image for me.

I start with a solemn piece by Munch, who opens this small collection of pictures. I love the red, the fiery orange and dark yellows, in contrast with the cool colors of the window. There is a sense of transience in the picture, the young woman is ready to do something else, go out and enjoy life, open the window for good, this little ceremony is like the last thing she does before delivering herself to the world. She is ready to enjoy life, she does not have much time for brooding and contemplation, she gets the job done as required, but this is about it!  The sure sign of this psychological posture is the fact that the woman is fully dressed when she is combing her hair, and she is standing.

Edward Munch - Woman combing her hair

It may be the length of the hair (οι βοστρυχοι στα ελληνικα) it may be the serenity of the process, it may be the curved body parts, it may be the fact that in the process the woman is reflecting upon her appearance or something else.

Whatever it is, this type of  image speaks to me.

Rossetti’s Lady Lilith (1863) is combing her hair and watching herself on the hand held mirror. The first wife of Adam has a lot to think about and to contemplate while watching her own beauty on the mirror. The atmosphere of the picture is gloomy and totally inward. Lady Lilith is not interested in anything really, but herself. This morbid narcissism is totally captivating in the picture. It is after all, a picture of vanity. The simple act of combing the hair becomes an open door to the woman’s personality. Her naked shoulder is escaping from the gown and is a clear sign of the intense carnal aspect of the picture. Although she is not naked or half dressed, this may be even more powerful.

Renoir is here painting the innocence and quite anticipation of the young girl in a fantastic way! The contrast of the browns and the beige with the flesh and the white night gown is startling. The purity and magnificence of the innocent is portrayed in the picture. Here, we see that this is really a portrait, not just a portrayal of the act.

Young girl combing her hair

The subliminal Titian is here painting the wife of one of his clients, who emerges triumphant from the act of combing her hair, and is helped by the servant who humbly looks down. She is not primarily a sexual agent, she is primarily a woman in charge. Her sight is full of determination, whether this refers to the hair or something else. She is a woman who means business and nothing else.  The posture of the servant is exemplifying the power as virtue that the picture radiates. The colors of the gown and shirt of the lady are not accidental. She is a creature of black and white.

Titian

Let me now move to pictures that are made by Edgar Degas in the last decade of the 19th century. One of the reasons I fell in love with Degas was his mastery of this subject.

Edgar Degas: Combing the hair (1892-6)

Here we have an orgy of reds, oranges, mixed with pink and the combing is done by a domestic helper. The young woman is totally left to the hands of her servant, maybe asleep, maybe dreaming. In stark contrast, the helper is awake, alert, and diligent in performing the task. The only sign that she may be awake is the posture she makes with her left hand.

This is a similar picture of Degas, but the combing here is done most likely by the sister of the young girl. The most beautiful part of the picture is the bent hand that supports the hair.

What a change when we move to the endlessly fascinating Balthus and his Alice! Alice is practically naked, and exhibits her beauty unashamedly. And why not?

She is young, she is beautiful, there is nothing to worry about, but the extent to which she will enjoy the pleasures of life. The room is empty, there is only one chair, we cannot make out her social class or status. Does it matter? I believe this is one of the points made by Balthus.

Cathy’s Toilette is a violent vibrating picture of domestic life gone on the rocks.

As I go through a period of preparation for my long anticipated trip to Japan, I include a serene picture from Japan.

Onna

In closing, I would like to show another Degas picture, whose colours I love.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, primarily because you get to dress up.  This year, as with every year, my costume was last minute.  Shu Lan and I jointly came up with the idea for me to be Edvard Munch’s The Scream.  We even painted the border together, which was a fun project [except when I started complaining that there was no green in the painting, and Shu Lan insisted on putting green in because she mixed the color].  The result is quite…well, awesome:

My family means a great deal to me. This is especially important because I seem to have a trend of pushing friends out of my life for one reason or another and the ol’ fam is all that remains a good chunk of the time.  Recently another fetish munch was going to be held in a neighboring state. Now considering my revelations and life changes so far, it would probably have been considered the perfect opportunity. It didn’t even include playtime, which is a constant source of debate for me. (A lot of people who attend fetish events actually LIKE to play. I, on the other hand, usually like to keep it in the bedroom. It can cause me anxiety thinking about what to tell people when they ask if they can play with me.) Munches are just opportunities to meet other likeminded people and enjoy their company in places like restaurants. This time, however, I made the decision not to go. In the end it turned out to be the right decision for multiple reasons, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Rewind to a few years ago, my dad worked on an older woman’s house. She was pretty batty and constantly was throwing herself at my father. Her family shunned her and so she was always calling him just to talk and strange situations always seemed to happen as “accidents” that I’m sure were of her making. (An example: She was supposed to leave her car keys for him behind when she went on a trip to Kentucky with her family. He was to pull her car out of her garage and work on her attic. Conveniently, when he went to her house to pull the car out, her keys were nowhere to be found! He searched high and low and couldn’t find them anywhere. He eventually had to call her and let her know he couldn’t find them. She told him, “Well I DO have a spare set in my bedroom in my panties drawer.” Honestly? There is no way she didn’t know what she was doing with that planned bit. After consistently putting the moves on him, what better way to try to solidify something by getting someone to sift through your pantaloons? And by the way, the keys weren’t ANYWHERE in the drawer. She had them with her in Kentucky the whole time. Considering she didn’t drive her car there and had no need for them…it struck everyone as odd.)

He ended up nearly finishing on her house, but couldn’t complete the contract because she continuously went on family trips and wouldn’t ever call him to tell him when he could come over. He called her about it and she told him to keep the remainder of the money. (Again, strange woman.) About a week ago he called to let my sister and I know he’s being sued for over 300,000 dollars by this same woman. We laughed about it a bit, making the ‘woman scorned’ jokes. But to be truthful I was scared for him. It stresses me out thinking about it. Suing itself is a serious thing, but he’s certainly not making the kind of money to reimburse someone for 300,000 dollars, added to the fact that he’s not in the best of health and his high stress levels have given him extreme health issues in the past. (Heart attack, anyone?)

I felt as though this was a key time to pull together as a family. It’s quite difficult for me to see them all on week days though. They live spread out in neighboring cities and only weekends are real possibilities for visitations. I needed to decide if I was going to continue my quest for growth, or hunker down with my family and offer support. Family won. And family will always win. Oddly enough I ended up getting sick the day of the munch so it was a wise decision regardless.

I do feel guilty about not going. I know a few people were looking forward to meeting me and I them. I feel like I let the host down by bowing out at the last minute. I suppose guilt and documentation are the main reasons I am revealing this. I have a strange sense for events and time. In my mind, events always warp to something else and times blend together, overlap, or even sort themselves out into the wrong order. I would like to have an accurate record of my journey as it happens. It’s sort of like when people keep food journals to keep themselves on track. I’m hoping that by forcing myself to be truthful to a wide audience, I will have less excuse to allow myself to slip.

Crunch munch

lunch

or brunch?

O Grito (Edvard Munch)

O Grito (no original Skrik) é uma pintura do norueguês Edvard Munch, datada de 1893. A obra representa uma figura andrógina num momento de profunda angústia e desespero existencial. O pano de fundo é a doca de Oslofjord (em Oslo) ao pôr-do-Sol. O Grito é considerado como uma das obras mais importantes do movimento expressionista e adquiriu um estatuto de ícone cultural, a par da Mona Lisa de Leonardo da Vinci.

A fonte de inspiração d’O Grito pode ser encontrada na vida pessoal do próprio Munch, um homem educado por um pai controlador, que assistiu em criança à morte da mãe e de uma irmã. Decidido a lutar pelo sonho de se dedicar à pintura, Munch cortou relações com o pai e integrou a cena artística de Oslo. A escolha não lhe trouxe a paz desejada, bem pelo contrário. Munch acabou por se envolver com uma mulher casada que só lhe trouxe mágoa e desespero e no início da década de 1890, Laura a sua irmã favorita, foi diagnosticada com doença bipolar e internada num asilo psiquiátrico. O seu estado de espírito está bem patente nas linhas que escreveu no seu diário:

Passeava com dois amigos ao pôr-do-sol – o céu ficou de súbito vermelho-sangue – eu parei, exausto, e inclinei-me sobre a mureta– havia sangue e línguas de fogo sobre o azul escuro do fjord e sobre a cidade – os meus amigos continuaram, mas eu fiquei ali a trem er de ansiedade – e senti o grito infinito da Natureza.

Munch imortalizou esta impressão no quadro O Desespero, que representa um homem de cartola e meio de costas, inclinado sobre uma vedação num cenário em tudo semelhante à da sua experiência pessoal. Não contente com o resultado, Munch tentou uma nova composição, desta vez com uma figura mais andrógina, de frente para o observador e numa atitude menos contemplativa e mais desesperada. Tal como o seu percursor, esta primeira versão d’O Grito recebeu o nome de O Desespero. Segundo um trabalho de Robert Rosenblum (um especialista da obra do pintor), a fonte de inspiração para esta figura humana estilizada terá sido uma múmia peruana que Munch viu na exposição universal de Paris em 1887.

O quadro foi exposto pela primeira vez em 1903, como parte de um conjunto de seis peças, intitulado Amor. A ideia de Munch era representar as várias fases de um caso amoroso, desde o encantamento inicial a uma rotura traumática. O Grito representava a última etapa, envolta em sensações de angústia.A recepção crítica foi duvidosa e o conjunto Amor foi classificado como arte demente (mais tarde, o regime nazi classificou Munch como artista degenerado e retirou toda a sua obra em exposição na Alemanha). Um crítico considerou o conjunto, e em particular O Grito, tão perturbador que aconselhou mulheres grávidas a evitar a exposição. A reacção do público, no entanto, foi a oposta e o quadro tornou-se em motivo de sensação. O nome O Grito surge pela primeira vez nas críticas e reportagens da época.

Munch acabou por pintar quatro versões d’O Grito, para substituir as cópias que ia vendendo. O original de 1893 (91×73.5 cm), numa técnica de óleo e pastel sobre cartão, encontra-se exposto na Galeria Nacional de Oslo. A segunda (83,5×66 cm), em têmpera sobre cartão, foi exibida no Munch Museum de Oslo até ao seu roubo em 2004. A terceira pertence ao mesmo museu e a quarta é propriedade de um particular. Para responder ao interesse do público, Munch realizou também uma litografia (1900) que permitiu a impressão do quadro em revistas e jornais.

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Interpretação do quadro

Vemos ao fundo um céu de (cores quentes), em oposição ao rio em azul (cor fria) que sobe acima do horizonte, característica do expressionismo (onde o que interessa para o artista é a expressão de suas ideias e não um retrato da realidade). Vemos que a figura humana também está em cores frias, azul, como a cor da angústia e da dor, sem cabelo para demonstrar um estado de saúde precário. Os elementos descritos estão tortos, como se reproduzindo o grito dado pela figura, como se entortando com o berro, algo que reproduza as ondas sonoras. Quase tudo está torto, menos a ponte e as duas figuras que estão no canto esquerdo. Tudo que se abalou com o grito e com a cena presenciada está torto, quem não se abalou (supostamente seus amigos, como descrito acima) e a ponte, que é de concreto e não é “natural” como os outros elementos, continua reto.

A dor do grito está presente não só no personagem, mas também no fundo, o que destaca que a vida para quem sofre não é como as outras pessoas a enxergam, é dolorosa também, a paisagem fica dolorosa e talvez por essa característica do quadro é que nos identificamos tanto com ele e podemos sentir a dor e o grito dado pelo personagem. Nos introjetamos no quadro e passamos a ver o mundo torto, disforme e isso nos afeta diretamente e participamos quase interativamente da obra.

Há também outra interpretação para o quadro “O Grito”. Na verdade, Munch colocou no quadro o desespero de pessoas de uma ilha onde ocorreu um Tsunami e uma erupção vulcânica (essa ilha era um ilha vulcânica).É por isso que podemos ver o céu todo laranja, representando a erupção vulcânica, e o rio, representando o Tsunami.