🍊
I ♡ this painting so much!
She's so pretty! And the rendering is so masterful and fun!
Of Note:
❖ Modeled after the infamous La Maja Vestida by Francisco de Goya
❖ An inscription in the lower right dedicates the painting “To my friend Nadar.” which refers to the photographer, caricaturist, and novelist Félix Nadar
Feb 8, 2025
Related Recs
This painting is called Kneeling Nun, by Martin Von Meytens, an Austrian painter who happened to be a protestant. The front of the portrait is the one of a seemingly pious nun who seems to be taking up her duties on prayer, with another nun behind her looking very fixated on...what if we turn the portrait and see what she's looking at?...Oh! Good heavens!
Yep. If you actually look at the reverse of this portrait, you'll see a complete image exposing another perspective that suddenly parodies the catholic devotion, having the painting turn into a sapphic tale. As a catholic, I gravitate naturally towards everything that's ironic and this was just too delicious to ignore.
Jan 6, 2025
Well, I like small paintings, they often have a certain ephemeral lightness. They are a kind of finger exercise by the artist for larger works. Because they suffer less from compositional constraints than large paintings, they seem more spontaneous. This small picture is called "Me by Claudia's Pool", its colors are wonderful, the light in Los Angeles, it is painted from a perspective that anyone who has ever lain in a hammock knows. That moment when you look at your own legs as if they have an independent life of their own.
PS~ The painting is in Paris in Yanma's studio and it is not yet sold. It costs less than USD 500, if you are interested, I will put you in touch with Yanma.
Apr 3, 2024
⭐
Finely reviewed.
Jan 29, 2024
Top Recs from @greenstar
18h ago
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
__________________________
* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025