BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London

Subject: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 12:28 AM

Poster too steamy for London subway

Full-frontal 'Venus' ad for royal academy art exhibit too much for agency

The Associated Press
updated 5:58 p.m. CT, Thurs., Feb. 14, 2008

LONDON - London's transport authority has refused to display a poster featuring the 16th-century "Venus" by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder, saying it is overtly sexual.

The painting, which depicts a golden-haired, milky-skinned woman cocking her hips behind a transparent veil, is one of 70 works due to go on display at London's Royal Academy of Arts on March 8.
Transport for London, which runs the British capital's subway system, refused to display a poster of the work unless the bottom half was cropped out, the academy said.

"I think it is because she's totally nude as opposed to say she's topless," academy spokeswoman Jennifer Francis said, noting the painting was completed in 1532. "We're shocked. We wouldn't have put a poster design forward if we thought it was offensive."

She said "Venus" was chosen because it best represents Cranach's work, and the academy would be uncomfortable altering the artist's work by cropping it.

Transport for London said they turned the poster down out of respect for commuters' varied tastes.

"We have to take account of the full range of travelers and endeavor not to cause offense in the advertising we display," the organization said in a statement.

It said its rules bar advertisements that portray people "in a sexual manner" or "in an overtly sexual context."

Cranach, a friend of Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, often painted nudes, Francis said. She added the academy saw nothing overtly sexual in the piece.

"We actually thought it was quite an innocent painting," she said.

© 2008 The Associated Press

Okay, but the description of a "veiled Venus" didn't ring any bells with me. A search at ArtCyclopedia turned up a Venus by Cranach the Elder belonging to the National Gallery of Canada, but London doesn't seem to actually own much of note by the artist.

The lady in question quite probably is This one. The link is to a "pre-restoration" version, and the "right arrow" beside the image will take you to the "restored version" which likely would be the one proposed for the ads.

I can think of several "punch lines" that might turn the incident into a song challenge, and discussion about whether the Academy is really all that "innocent" or was just looking for some sensationalist press to push their exhibit. Feel free to comment...

My real question though is whether anyone knows of another "Venus" by Cranach the Elder in which Venus "is veiled."

John

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 12:43 AM

I found THIS ONE at allposters.com...slightly different from the one you posted. I am surprised at the prudery in London. I thought we were the ones for that!

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 02:06 AM

kat -

Of course in the US they'd have arrested the gallery director for even submitting the proposed ad...

The style of the picture looks like a Cranach Elder, but the face especially is less "finished" than his usual (of the ones I've seen). The pose resembles the Elder's couple of "Lucretia Borgia" paintings, so it's likely authentic enough. Too bad these poster people never credit the owners so you can check out the details with the museums.

Good find. Now I'll have to do some more research.

I've got Cranach Elder notes on about 27 "Venus" paintings, 6 "Lucretias," and about 20 "Eves" that look like the old guy only had one model during his entire career. I guess painting a picture that people like is sort of a curse, because the artist is stuck¹ with doing reproductions and variations forever.

¹ You've probably heard what "Sin" did to Stuck?

John

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 02:59 AM

This page (click) has a photo of the actual poster. I can't see how anybody could be offended by it. I wonder if they ever consider the sensitivities of those of us who are offended by censorship....

I noticed the same thing John did - Cranach seemed to favor one model.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 08:34 AM

Apparently Cranach painted several Venuses: see Google Images, which also finds some spoofs. There is also an image of the poster.

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 08:42 AM

Well, when you live in the cold, rainy climate of Britain you don't develop the same hot blood that others in Europe, like the Italians and the Germans, do.

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 10:05 AM

I'm sure the Museum anticipated some kind of outcry.

Reminds me of the satirical art book I had once which had a set of classic nude painting, and included transparencies with various concealing garments or vegetation so that one could view the art without being offended, or enjoy a very private striptease show. I wonder where that book went to?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: bankley
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:28 AM

next thing there'll be a 'Clothe the Livestock' campaign,,,, if there isn't already...

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: jacqui.c
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:37 AM

Back to Victorian times where it all got swept under the carpet. Even the piano legs had skirts!

Where do they get these ideas from?

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:38 AM

Well, I for one am DEEPLY offended by naked Manx cats and chihuahua dogs. And as for slugs and worms the least said the better! Clad (clod? clay?) the animals!

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:48 AM

The "This" link in my first post illustrates the prudery that's been common. The link shows a Venus with figleaf, with the estimate of restorers that the "leaf" was added about 75 years ago. An arrow leads to the restored image without the leaf (and with nothing suggestive found under it) as now at the Canadian National Gallery.

The Venus on the poster is the same one that kat found at a poster gallery. Unfortunately neither the poster people nor most of the several newsclips since found give any info on the original. I would have assumed it belongs to the London National Academy, but Art Daily identifies it, with a very good (for web) image of the poster:

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Venus, 1532, Oil and tempera on red beechwood, 37.7 x 24.5 cm. Stadel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Inv. Nr. 1125. Photo © : Jochen Beyer, Village-Neuf.

Jim Dixon's Google search showed only one other "usable" that I didn't already know about, at the National Gallery of Scotland. It's a Venus and Cupid that's a little different than several others, and that appparently contradicts a claim made by one Czech museum about the "uniqueness" of their somewhat similar one. (More ^$%#@ research needed now, I suppose.)

As Jim noted, Google gives you lots of fakes, and isn't generally a good place to find "good art," although it's sometimes useful as a backup to other sources.

John

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 10:35 PM

What does anthropology have to say about how screwed up modern western culture is regarding nudity as opposed to Amazon societies.

I don't want to blame religion but rather call it one of the worst societal neuorosis that could be to blame for much of the insanity in our culture.

Leonard Nomoy just published art photos only of fatties.

If nudity was not so oppressed in our culture I bet obesity might be less. If you can;t hide it, you might be more liekely to resize it.


OPPS I just realized it is the men who probably would fight normal public nudity because of penis insecurity or its disappearence entirely in the winter. lol

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 20 Feb 08 - 04:18 AM

I suspect the outcry is over the shadow that suggests pubic hair. In the UK, showing 'artistic' naked people is apparently perfectly OK if they have no pubic hair. It's also OK to have naked people on stage in tableaux, if they don't move - as soon as they start to move or dance, it becomes offensive - don't ask me why!

She may be as bald as the proverbial billiard ball down there, but the shading does suggest a bit of beaver fur and thus it becomes pornography.

We also have to consider that this picture is going to be shown in public - on platforms and stations that have people of all ages and religions, some of whom may find the representation of a very naked woman offensive - and I don't just mean those who follow Islam! My mother would have been deeply shocked at the sight of her and I'm no prude but I really don't see the need to display such much nudity in public.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: 482 Year Old Lady Too Hot for London
From: EBarnacle
Date: 20 Feb 08 - 12:47 PM

I dunno, but to my cynical eye, the poster has done its job, whether or not it appears everywhere. I created buzz. I would bet that attendance at this show will be tremendous!