Here we are again, DUers! Just in time for the Friday Afternoon Challenge: “Women of Desire!”

[CTyankee]

Artists painting women famous for their desirability and their tragedy...who might they and their artist be?

And, it’s a nice place we got here...let’s keep it nice and not cheat...

1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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[WCGreen]

1. Number four is...

The pee stick says were pregnant...

I kid, I kid....

[CTyankee]

7. Ha! Pretty dramatic...

[kardonb]

69. pregnant

I don't get this "we " are pregnant bit lately . The woman is pregnant , the man is expecting an addition to the family , He is not the pregnant one .

[CTyankee]

95. I thought about that. As a feminist, I can see where you are coming from. However, it

seems to me that there is an honest and earnest effort by pro-feminist men to support their wives and become "part of the solution." In that, I applaud them.

It is actually a good thing, when you think about it. The more men identify with the female, the better they will be at parenting and being a full partner in the relationship.

This is good, really.

[WCGreen]

98. Thank you...

That is how I meant it.

When my wife found out she was pregnant, she said we are pregnant. Sadly, there was a miscarriage and complications made it so we could not be parents.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

99. ...

[Brickbat]

2. No. 5 is...

The Beguiling of Merlin by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones. I know this because it's on the cover of my copy of "Possession" by A.S. Byatt (one of my top 10 favorite books, I highly recommend it), and the painting is what caught my eye and made me pick it up the first time.

[CTyankee]

8. Yep. I just love it...

[WCGreen]

12. That was the only one of the bunch that I had seen....

Smithsonian Channel has a good hour show about Merlin over the years.

[entanglement]

26. Great answer. It is a classic pre-Raphaelite work.

The lady is la Dame du Lac.

[longship]

33. That would make the female "The Lady in the Lake"

Yup! Just checked out on the Google.

[CTyankee]

77. doncha love it?

[longship]

81. It's gorgeous! nt

[elleng]

3. Dunno,

but may I have a gown like #1, PLEASE???!!!

[CTyankee]

9. I know. I can't take my eyes off it!

[joeybee12]

4. The dress on the first reminds me of Klimt, but it isn't; # 6 is...

Salome...can't think of the artist, though...it'll come to me.

[CTyankee]

11. Actually, there is no Salome here...

[pinto]

5. Guesses -

#1 - Guenevere

#4 - Daphne

#6 - Bathsheba

[PotatoChip]

10. I was going to say Bathsheba for #2

Still will just for kicks, but don't have a clue as to the artist.

[CTyankee]

15. You are correct!

You know, I thought it would be just too easy but this painting is so gorgeous I had to use it!

Now does anybody know the artist?

[WCGreen]

20. Depicting the short hair is pretty cool...

[CTyankee]

63. I have the sense that her hair is "put up" as in a braid or a bun...

[Shrike47]

21. Gerome.

I figured out Bathsheba (bathing on the roof, yay Leonard Cohen) and looked.

[CTyankee]

24. Not to mention the OT...LOL...

Gerome is just riveting. God, that sky...

[entanglement]

34. Jean-Leon Gerome.

[longship]

96. BATHsheba for short. ;) nt

[CTyankee]

14. I can see how you would have guessed these but they are not...

[longship]

6. #6 looks to be Eve being tempted.

I may have seen it before, but I have no idea if I am correct or who painted it.

Just happy to be able to contribute something here, even if it's wrong.

on edit: Looks like that I am wrong. I guess I should have noticed the crescent moon.

[CTyankee]

22. I am not sure what that crescent moon is there for, if it is for anything...IMO it doesn't

have bearing on the subject of this painting, but it is just a detail of a larger painting (altho she is one of the two subjects in the title of the work). It's a little weird...but there must a be a reason...just wait til Pinboy gets here...he'll have this thing analyzed ten ways to Friday...

[Hekate]

28. #6-- Salome's Dance of the 7 Veils?

Wild guess as to subject. The crescent moon might be a reference to Babylonian paganism if I am right.

Hekate

[CTyankee]

36. No. Here's a HINT: she is NOT trying to entice. In fact, just the opposite...Look at her eyes

and the hand of her maidservant...

[The Straight Story]

13. #1 reminds me of a Waterhouse

But if it is one I have no idea which one.

[CTyankee]

16. there is no Waterhouse here...

[The Straight Story]

17. Yeah, I have seen most of his works but the style reminds me of him (nt)

[CTyankee]

18. Ah, there's a reason for that...

[WCGreen]

19. Is number two Bathsheba

[CTyankee]

23. It is. Who painted it?

[WCGreen]

27. Don't have a clue...

But I still like hanging around the threads so I get a little learning in once in awhile.

[femmocrat]

25. These are hard! Just guessing.....

Is Number 4 a Renoir? The body looks like it, but the face not so much.

Number 6: Rubens? She looks rather "Rubenesque"?

[CTyankee]

37. No, there is no Renoir and no Rubens here...

[kentuck]

29. Is one of them a Tintoretto?

I have seen a couple of them before but cannot place the artist?

[CTyankee]

45. There isn't but I'm fascinated by your guess. Which one do you think looks like

Tintoretto? Some of his works I like and some I just can't stand...

[Tansy_Gold]

30. #1 & #2

#1 looks to be a Belle Dame sans Merci, but I haven't looked for the artist.

#2 William Alphonse Bouguereau or Lawrence Alma-Tadema?

these are semi-educated guesses, did not do any searches.

[Tansy_Gold]

35. #1 -- Common Pre-raphaelite theme

This one by Frank Cadogan Cowper


Yippee! I love it when I get something right!


(I have been wrong about a lot of stuff this week. Your thread improved my outlook and my self-confidence immeasurably!)

[CTyankee]

39. I KNEW I'd see you here! I remember you knowing this era very well.

Glad I could be of some service or therapy...well, the art is therapy...

[entanglement]

43. Yup

That's La Belle Dame Sans Merci - She's one in a long line of unattainable, beautiful and ice-cold femme fatales. Seems archaic and sexist when viewed through a more modern lens, but there is something about the idea that resonates to this day.

[CTyankee]

47. the whole idea is supposed to be about obsession, recalling a critique of Keats's poem.

Maybe that's a post modern interpretation but it certainly would fit. A man obsessing about a woman bring about a bad outcome on him...

[Tansy_Gold]

51. Yeah. . . .

HE obsesses, but it's always HER fault?

[CTyankee]

53. Well, look at what happens to him after he kisses her...whammo...

[CTyankee]

38. I almost used a Bouguereau...but decided against it...lots of PRB...

[Tansy_Gold]

46. I generally look at the pix

And then do my guessing and/or research without looking at the other answers, so I missed on #2. And the Burne-Jones was just too obvious, too well-known. to the poster who recommended Possession. Such a great story!

[CTyankee]

48. Now I'm gonna have to read that book...

[LostOne4Ever]

100. But but but...

Bouguereau is one of the greatest artist OF ALL TIME!!!!

I am sad

[CTyankee]

102. I love his work. I love the romanticizing of history by the pre Raphaelites.

There's something sweet about it...

[pinto]

31. #5 - Isolde? Or Ophelia?

(disclaimer) I'm so bad it this...

[CTyankee]

40. aw, I'm sorry, no Isolde or Ophelia here. Wish I had thought of Isolde tho...hmm...

[entanglement]

32. #2

is "Bathsheba", by Jean-Leon Gerome.

[CTyankee]

42. Yep, it was guessed above...

whatta picture that is!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

41. Is #6 Judith and Holofernes?

Before she "cuts him off", so to speak???

I don't know from nuthin on these, and I loved Art History, but it's FUN!!!

No. 1 is Art Nouveau, I can tell that.

[CTyankee]

44. No, no Judith here. But I can see how you went there.

[zappaman]

49. Yes, let's objectify women even more.

Also how nice of you to post without a warning.
What if a kid walked by while I was opening this.
Disgusting but not unusual for DU these days...

[CTyankee]

50. Really? This is art.

Can we discuss this rationally?

I'm almost at a loss for words, but can you tell me what is so awful about this artwork?

[Cleita]

68. Must be John Ashcroft lurking here.

Probably wants to put drapes on all the naughty parts.

[CTyankee]

71. yeah, and good lord I'm a huge feminist but I recognize that art is art and has a

history and context. I don't have to agree with the status of women but I do see the artistic merit in some of it...I really don't think there is anything gratuitous here...

[Cleita]

74. In my art classes in a Catholic college taught by a nun and a male lay teacher in

the late fifties, we occasionally had live nude models to draw or paint. The teachers thought it was necessary to know how to draw and paint a nude or our art education would not be complete. Nobody raised an eyebrow. It was art class and usually with a very earthy and fat model, not the pole stripper at The Itchy Kitty.

[CTyankee]

76. I'm not sure how to communicate this message to the poster, tho. He seems to have

an idea that these images are totally gratuitous and almost pornographic.

I don't have to agree with the "male gaze" to not appreciate other aspects of the artists who did so. If I did, I would be rejecting centuries of art history.

It is interesting. I have this conversation with my daughter, who loves art, too. She doesn't like religious art of Europe. I tell her that the reality was that in the society in which artists lived during the Gothic and Renaissance times religious themes were all that there was to paint. So the idea is that you look for the WAY the artists presented the theme and that led to fabulous artistry...

[Cleita]

79. During the Renaissance, from what I understand you were contracted by

a patron and often that patron was a member of the clergy of the Church or even the Pope himself, so religious themes would be prominent. Also, the aristocracy liked religious themes to make them look pious. I kind of liked the Byzantine religious art of the Middle Ages, something I tried to imitate with modern themes. My teachers didn't like that so much, too much gold and jewel tones for them, but it's what attracted me when I was a teenager. I have matured in my taste since then.

[CTyankee]

82. Of course, what we have to remember is that Klimt was inspired by the Byzantine art in

the basilica of San Vitale for his "Lady in Gold" and "The Kiss."

This is why I don't judge art by its theme. I know there is a reason why the artist went down that path, or if I don't I try to find out, and the historical reason is often the case...

[Cleita]

83. Fair enough. You are the expert here.

I'm only a witness and dabbler in that world.

[CTyankee]

86. I am NO expert. I am an amateur art historian. I love art and research it all the time.

I live for it and save my money so I can travel to places where I can see it (mostly Europe).

I have not put myself through the rigor of getting an art history graduate degree. I thought about doing that but I have a Masters in Liberal Studies and I didn't think that at my age I could do the effort involved in an Art History Masters.

It has been a privilege for me to travel and research art history. But it basically started with me just going into my local library and pulling art books off the shelves and reading them. But I have the time that most people (and certainly not me, when I was working) have to do so.

So this is my gig....

[longship]

52. It does say "Women of Desire" in the title.

Second, it's art! And one thing we can say about art is that it objectifies anything it depicts.

The only other way one could avoid that is to outlaw the human form being depicted. And although there are some who do that, it has not been historically prevalent in most cultures.

Plus, the weekly challenge is never, and has never been about maligning anybody. It's about visual art history.

Thanks.

[panader0]

55. Seriously? Seriously?

[lumberjack_jeff]

97. As paintings, they are already objects. n/t

[entanglement]

54. #4 Hint please?

It seems so familiar - but it doesn't fit any of the other "famous, tragic lady" themes. Proserpine, Pandora, Europa ...

[longship]

57. I was thinking the same. I've seen it before.

I was thinking a classic, like Dido, but I don't think so.

[CTyankee]

59. I know. This really looks like an unfinished work by a famous painter. I don't know why

he left it in such a state, but there it is. And it is in the Louvre.

I don't think this character's story is very well known...she's pretty unhappy...and yes, she's in Greek mythology...

[entanglement]

65. Still trying #4

It's hard!

I tried Thisbe, Ariadne, Phaedra, Eurydice, Alcyone, Latona, Alcestis...

[Shrike47]

56. We've got 1 and 2 and I know I've seen 6 today but can't remember where...

Looked at too many images.

[Shrike47]

58. Susannah? (of Susannah and the Elders)

[CTyankee]

60. actually, no Susannahs here...

[Shrike47]

61. #6 is Titian, Diana (and Acteon)

[CTyankee]

62. Wow, did my hint lead you to it?

[longship]

64. Well, #4 is Psyche?

I only get Michael Gauche as an artist, but his looks derivative.

Played a hunch from your hint, plus I remember that image from somewhere and "Psyche" popped into my brain.

[CTyankee]

72. You are on the right track...

[longship]

84. Psyche Abandoned by Jacques-Louis David!

I finally got one!!

Thanks for these, CTYankee.

Good stuff, every Friday. Best of all, it's fun.

[CTyankee]

87. Good for YOU! What led you to this?

[longship]

89. It popped into my head.

I remembered the image as soon as I saw it. I had taken humanities in 1967, for Christ sakes. But this image looked familiar. Then, I thought of Psyche, which I posted above. I didn't get the right image right away because it was only a partial title and I kept getting the infernal poster of just the face by Michael Gauche.

Finally I just found it and got the whole title. Then, I thought, of course, David.

My aging brain cells still work a bit. Don't ask me why they came up with "Psyche".

[CTyankee]

92. It's a wonder that my own brain cells function! I can't remember sh*t...

great story, btw. I love these stories. It's why I do these in the first place. The "challenge" part is just a way of drawing people in...

[OffWithTheirHeads]

66. #4has to be Beaogero however he spelled it.

The face is the same as the girl with the broken jug.

[longship]

67. It's Bouguereau, and I don't think it's his.

[CTyankee]

73. No, but the same era...

[Knightraven]

70. I think #2 is Bathsheba.

I don't know about the others.

[CTyankee]

75. Yes, it is and it was guessed. It is Bathsheba and it is by Gerome, a French painter of the

late 19th century...Gerome did absolutely wonderful work. It is beautiful.

[CTyankee]

78. #3 is NOT guessed, folks! Here's your challenge!

It's obvious it is not a painting. It's pretty obvious where it would be physically. If your image was in stone and pretty well worn like it is, where do you THINK it would be?

[CTyankee]

80. And we don't know who did #4?

[longship]

85. Jacques-Louis David "Psyche Abandoned" #4!!!

My nose led me to it with a little nudge or two from CTYankee.

Cool!

[CTyankee]

88. What really tipped it for you? Tell, tell...

[longship]

91. Posted up thread. Sorry for the double post.

I was just excited that I actually got it more or less on my own, with a couple hints from you, of course.

[CTyankee]

93. I love it that you are excited! We all should be with this gorgeous art...

[Honeycombe8]

90. I have no idea...but that's Terence Stamp in #5!

[CTyankee]

94. Wow, look at that "look"!

I remember him as such an innocent looking kid in "Billy Bud".