Friday 28 October 2016

BATHSHEBA

Her beauty has informed artists over the decades. From the roof of his palace, King David sees her at her bath, and after that one glimpse, he wants her. I bet she was stunning; drop dead gorgeous. Her name is Bathsheba and she is a married woman. Her husband Uriah, is a soldier, fighting on the front line in the war against the Ammonites. This is no nameless husband, someone whom David has never heard of. The biblical text tells us of “Uriah the Hittite.” He is named as one of David's mighty men, known for his bravery and courage as a soldier. But Uriah’s wife is fit for a king. And this king intends to have her.

Rembrandt paints Bathsheba in 1654 in a spirit of intimacy. Her face reflects the difficulty of the situation - forced to submit to the king's will, she feels the guilt of betraying her husband Uriah.

BATHSHEBA MARC CHAGALL 1962
William Drost painted Bathsheba also in 1654, illustrating her moral dilemma. She receives the letter from King David.

Leonard Cohen sings about her.

“You saw her bathing on the roof,Her beauty and the moonlight and overthrew you.”

And another painting, by Cornelius Van Harleem. 1594

So the king is watching her, spying on her at her bath. Is Bathsheba an exhibitionist? Does she sense that she is being watched?

FRANCESCO SOLIMENA The bible is not exactly steeped in erotica. With the exception of “The Song of Solomon”, it is difficult to find anything connected with erotic love, or erotic desire. And what of Bathsheba herself? What does she represent? What point were the writers of the bible trying to make?

Bathsheba at the well, a boy brings King David's letter, Peter Paul Rubens.

Other women in the bible, are well defined. Holy virgin, Mary, mother of Jesus, meek and obedient; the reformed whore, Mary Magdalene, whirling in incense and sulphur; there is Jezebel steeped in depravity; and there is Ruth, with her wonderful quality of loyalty. Even Lot’s daughters and their horrible seduction of their father, (which makes me cringe whenever I read it) you can argue that their crime is justified.

HANS Von Aachen So is beautiful Bathsheba there, just to demonstrate the lust and weakness of a powerful king? It would seem so.

Bathsheba and David Jan Massys David, up until this episode, has always been presented as a loyal servant of the Lord. His name, David means “beloved”. David slew the mighty Philistine, Goliath. He was a hero and Samuel, the prophet declared him “chosen by the Lord”. David has had the love and protection of the Lord throughout his life.

Bathsheba at her Bath. Jacob Von Loo Yet in introducing David as a letch, the bible writers show us that David is as capable of falling and failing, as anyone of us. Looking, seeing the forbidden, has an irresistible allure and David cannot drag his eyes away. He is a voyeur and the artists featured here place the viewer in the same position.

As for Bathsheba, I am still having difficult in framing her -- I’d appreciate any ideas that any of you may have. Is she just a cipher -- an example of how even great men can be tempted? Or is she something more?

For a Feminist approach to Bathsheba click here

Friday 21 October 2016

PIERRE ET GILLES

La Madone-au-Coeur-bless 1991 “It’s hard to think of contemporary culture without the influence of Pierre et Gilles, from advertising to fashion photography, music video, and film. This is truly global art.” Jeff Koons.
Saint Sebastian 1987 “Pierre Commoy, the photographer, was born in 1950 in La Roche-sur-Yon.[1] Gilles Blanchard, the painter, was born in 1953 in Le Havre.[1] In the early 1970s, Blanchard took a degree at the École des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, while Commoy studied photography in Geneva.” WIKI
Saint Sebastian of the Sea 1994 “In 1974, Blanchard moved to Paris to paint and make illustrations for magazines and advertisements. Commoy started working as a photographer for the magazines Rock & Folk,Dépèche Mode and Interview.” WIKI
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, 1996 “In autumn 1976, Commoy and Blanchard met at the inauguration of a Kenzo boutique in Paris, and they started living together in an apartment in Rue des Blancs-Manteaux that they also use as a studio. The next year they started working together; Blanchard painted the images, Commoy took the photos. Their public breakthrough came with their images for the magazine Façade, with portraits of Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop.” WIKI
Legend-Madonna-1990 The cosmos of the worldwide renowned French artist duo is a vivid, colourful world poised between baroque sumptuousness and earthly limbo. Pierre et Gilles create unique hand-painted photographic portraits of film icons, sailors and princes, saints and sinners, of mythological figures and unknowns alike. Pierre et Gilles pursue their own, stunningly unique vision of an enchanted world spanning fairytale paradises and abyssal depths, quoting from popular visual languages and history of art. Again and again, they re-envision their personal dream of reality anew in consummate aesthetic perfection.
Le Grand Amour-Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese Pierre et Gilles are among the most influential artists of our time. In their complex, multilayered images, they quote from art history, transgress traditional moral codes, and experiment adeptly with social clichés.
Saint Rose de Lima 1989 Their painterly photographic masterpieces exert an intense visual power that leaves the viewer spellbound.
Mercure 2001 Over the last thirty years, Pierre et Gilles have created photographic portraits of numerous celebrities including Marc Almond, Mirelle Mathieu, Catherine Deneuve, Serge Gainsbourg, Iggy Pop, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Nina Hagen, Madonna, and Paloma Picasso.
Neptune 1988 They work almost exclusively in an opulently furnished studio, where their subjects are costumed lavishly and placed before three-dimensional backgrounds. Pierre photographs the model, and Gilles retouches and hand-colours the print. The reproducible portrait is rendered unique through painting, which highlights each detail with carefully selected materials and accessories. I have not been able to find any sources concerning how the two have influenced other artists, but it seems to me that Jean-Paul Gaultier, has borrowed ideas from them for his sensual perfume advertising campaigns. This post was suggested by my friend Stephen and put together using sources from the Web.

Please visit my Amazon Author page 

Friday 14 October 2016

Who Knows What Is Good or Bad in Sex? A look at the themes in the “Good Pussy Bad Pussy” books by A. Aime



Do you know the story of the Chinese farmer whose horse runs away? It goes like this:
   When the farmer’s neighbour came to console him the farmer said, ‘Who knows what’s good or bad?’
   When his horse returned the next day with a herd of horses following her, the foolish neighbour came to congratulate him on his good fortune.
   ‘Who knows what’s good or bad?’ said the farmer.
   Then, when the farmer’s son broke his leg trying to ride one of the new horses, the foolish neighbour came to console him again.
   ‘Who knows what’s good or bad?’ said the farmer.
   When the army passed through, conscripting men for the war, they passed over the farmer’s son because of his broken leg. When the foolish man came to congratulate the farmer that his son would be spared, again the farmer said, ‘Who knows what’s good or bad?’”
   And so on!




And that’s pretty much like my “Good Pussy Bad Pussy” books. Who knows what’s good or bad?  In the books, the main character, Rachel, runs away from an unhappy marriage and discovers and experiences great sexual release in ways that surprise, delight and shock her – but which are not always socially acceptable. Hence the title of the books – Good Pussy Bad Pussy.

So yes, I wanted to explore how it would be… not to be bound by our social norms and the traditional programming of men and women in terms of who we are and what we’re allowed to do sexually. Once I started to consider the matter, I found out that it’s a veritable zoo. So the books ask many questions. Questions like – what is Rachel, the heroine of the books, really experiencing? Is it love or abuse? Is it liberation or bondage? Is she really free or not? And who is making these choices for her? How much of all that happens to her in the books is based on social programming and negative social norms about sex? These are some of the questions the books pose through the dilemmas Rachel faces.



Another thing I wanted to explore in the books was orgasm. Because I consider orgasm to be the ultimate surrender – the moment when we finally – FINALLY – get a chance to lose our f*cking minds! And give up EVERYTHING! And by that I mean, in the moment of orgasm, we surrender every thought, every word, every concept we have and the mind literally goes blank. Absolutely and totally blank. And when this happens, it allows us to fly high for at least a moment or two because we’re no longer caught up in the mental constructions that otherwise rule our lives and drive so many of us crazy. In the powerful moment of orgasmic bliss, we stop worrying about or caring about our career or the rent or our boss or our weight or even about our boyfriend (even if he’s the one inside you) and we’re just gone – gone! In heaven! That’s why orgasm is such a powerful portal – because orgasm opens the door to ecstasy and the flow state where we are fully present in this NOW moment.

And why is this so earthshaking? So blissful? So powerful? Because when we’re present in this amazing NOW moment – thanks to having an orgasm – we catch a glimpse of our True Nature which is this timeless, carefree, All-Present, All-Powerful Bliss Consciousness… which is beyond language and beyond thought and beyond everything we can conceptualize. So… it’s no wonder we’re all so hooked on sex – no wonder!

When we understand this, we can also see why it doesn’t really matter what label you put on the way in which we human beings reach this state. It doesn’t really matter if it’s through a man-woman connection or man-man connection or a woman-woman connection or a several-people connection – nor does it matter what the particulars of the sexual act are, whether we do it upside down or backwards… The reality is – we’re all seeking the same release and the same bliss. We’re all seeking the very same moment of release and ecstasy where we get to experience this amazing NOW moment of timeless Presence which is who we truly are.

So isn’t it also very strange that we put so many labels on the various types of sexual relationships and experiences – making some of them right and some of them wrong , making some of them good and some of them bad, when they are all basically the same. All basically part of the human quest for release and ecstasy…

So yes, I started this exploration in “Good Pussy Bad Pussy – Rachel’s Tale”. Then I added to this an exploration of the conundrum that arises if we reach this blissful state of surrender in and through situations (and/or with people) that we don’t particularly like or find acceptable. Situations like this are also a part of the drama of the book because I wanted to explore what happens when the body experiences one thing while the mind is screaming something else? What happens when the sexual experience feels good but the mind is screaming “No! You shouldn’t be doing this!” because of our social programming or because of the situation in which the blissful surrender arises?

So I hope you enjoy the Good Pussy Bad Pussy ride/read! I know I did…  There are 2 books – "Good Pussy Bad Pussy – Rachel's Tale" and "Good Pussy Bad Pussy in Captivity".

Excerpt from “Good Pussy Bad Pussy – Rachel’s Tale” by A. Aimee
Good pussy bad pussy. Despite the traumatic events of New York and the deepening realization that all my actions had consequences, I also knew something else had awakened in me, something I’d never experienced before. A force, a power, a drive, an energy. Call it good pussy, call it bad pussy, call it whatever you will, but a life force had been awakened in me and I couldn’t put it (her) back to sleep again. Right or wrong. She was awake! She was alive! She wanted to live. And she wanted more.
   She, my pussy, was alive in me. I felt her moving in me, reaching out, right or wrong, proper or not. She wanted to taste and touch, to be tasted and touched. She wanted to feel the life force, the energy, moving in and through her. She wanted like liquid desire itself. She wanted because she was, life itself. She wanted because she was, the energy of life itself. And now that she – the genie – was out of the bottle, there was no putting her back again. She was untameable, wild; she wanted to be free, had to be free. Because she loved life, because yes, she was life itself. She was the life force in all of us… she was the creative power of the universe – and yes she was sex. Sex! Sex! Sexual! She was pure and beautiful and couldn’t be kept down or locked up. And now she was awake in me, awake! A ravishing beauty, a hungry cunt, a wantingness for the essence of life. And what was that essence? It was the ecstasy of knowing my own soul, my own being, which was somehow alive and felt like frolicking in that stream of liquid desire that carries one on and on unto a state of orgasmic bliss, which was somehow like coming home and finding a peace that was beyond all comprehension… home, home, home. That’s what I wanted, that’s what she wanted, that’s where she was taking me, taking me, taking me… and there was nothing, nothing I could do about it. No stopping her. No turning back now.
   She was me and I was her.
   And we were flying.

Links:
Amazon Kindle link: amzn.to/1lvdAcN
Amazon UK link: http://amzn.to/Yezq9D


A. Aimee is a modern woman and the author of “Good Pussy Bad Pussy – Rachel’sTale" and “Good Pussy Bad Pussy in Captivity”. Both books are published by John Hunt Publishing Ltd.
For more, see her Web site: www.goodpussybadpussy.com or follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyAimee14 or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.aimee.52