WHAT IS THIS FEELING?
WHAT IS THIS FEELING?
At its core, art is about making the audience feel something. Anything. Name an emotion and there will surely be an artwork that can make you feel it. Sometimes these can be quiet emotions: a painting of an empty room like Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles series might evoke loneliness; Monet's dreamy Water Lilies could have you lost in reveries; and who could fail to be dazzled, dazed and confused by Dali's The Bather?
Other pieces can make us feel very big feelings indeed. Pietas brings on intense sadness as we reflect on grief and loss - experiences which are universal, albeit unpleasant, and to which we can relate on a fundamental level. Michelangelo's grand Sistine Chapel frescoes are designed to evoke awe and wonder with their epic themes. But what about feeling a bit hot under the collar - is that also a valid response?
If you've ever walked around a museum, looked at the artworks - portraits, paintings, sculptures, whichever media you prefer - and thought, 'Wow! Absolutely would!', then this is the book for you. You can correctly identify the emotions you're feeling - well done, not everyone is able to do that! - and you clearly have exquisite taste. Good for you.
It's raining men
It's raining men
Think of this book as your journey around a museum with a personal guide to share all the juicy gossip, hidden histories and saucy facts about each and every artwork as you explore, with an abundance of eye-candy. As you journey through this imaginary museum, we'll be appreciating the hotties and thinking about some of the different visual forms and archetypes masculinity has taken; the sensitive poet, the pugilist soldier, the handsome heroes and the darkly desirable villains.
And if you're looking for your art history hunk the museum is, of course, the perfect place to go. Here, for the first time in history, the hotties of the art world have been carefully curated and selected for your viewing pleasure. All in one handy book. Hallelujah! When considering which handsome men to include to help you discover your art history boyfriend, just like The Weather Girls, we've got every specimen.
If you want tall, we have Michelangelo's David, who measures a whopping five meters. Oh my! Beach boys bathe and frolic in Summer Scene by Jean Frédéric Bazille. Giovanni Battista Moroni's Tailor - whose swarthy looks, dark hair and come-to-bed eyes have enchanted many a visitor to London's National Gallery - can be enjoyed alongside the lean Apollo Belvedere, who displays a godlike physique softer and gentler than we might expect. Then we have the rough and the tough, the trade of Tom of Finland's sensual sketches of sailors and cyclists. No one is stronger than Hercules and, as for mean ... well, is Lucifer mean, or is he just misunderstood?
But wait, there's more! We've got boys made from stone, like the Barberini Faun who, from the looks of things, could possibly be stoned. Did anyone check what was in that wine? Then there's our bronze boy, Sir Hamo Thornycroft's Mower, who is taking a breather while he looks around. There's even a hottie dealing with G-force! Horace Bristol's stunning PBY Blister Gunner has a fascinating story just waiting to be discovered. For smart dapper chaps, look no further than Hal Fischer's Street Fashion: Forties Trash serving vintage chic, and J.C. Leyendecker's Scribner's for July sets the standard for athletic masculine beauty. Then there's Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool by iconic artist David Hockney, which might leave us wondering what happened to Peter's trunks ...
There's dancers and prancers - Shiva as Lord of Dance and George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham respectively; boys on boats Ruby, Gold and Malachite; writers such as the gorgeous Lord Byron; and readers like Jerry whose gaze entrances just as much today as it did in nineteen thirty-one. There's even a cutie who by all rights should be half goat (I'm looking at you, James Bidgood's Pan).
You, discerning reader and art aficionado, will find your perfect guy, whatever your type. No rules or judgement here. Each page will bring you a fresh face and a feast of fascinating facts. Every single guy on display here is unique. There is no Same Face Syndrome, with every face being repeated over and over again; handsomeness isn't homogenous. It can be everything from a gleam in the eye to a sexy smile, or something else entirely. For this wander through the art gallery, beauty is very much in the eye of the book holder.