Friday, April 15, 2005


Agnolo Bronzino, Venus, Cupide and the Time (Allegory of Lust), 1540-45

Calls to mind the recent spate of teachers in the US having sex with their students, doesnt it? This blatantly erotic painting was a gift to the French royal house. I tell you, those French kings... These days, this stuff is called child porn. There is indeed a fine line between art and porn and this painting straddles that line.

8 comments:

grifter said...

Yep that 17 yr old highschooler was a stud - knocked up his teach. Whatsamatter? She can't find decent guys? There's this one in Jersey City at least.

Jego said...

That and several others. It's an epidemic. Nyahahaha!!

Posted that pic using flickr. Hello's picture quality is a lot better. Flickr's came out blurred. Oh well.

grifter said...

Whatdayamean? Hello still ain't working?

Tintin said...

on the bright side, the number of boys going to school has gone up

Jego said...

Still aint working. Boss has the same problem with her Hello. She's switching to Flickr for posting in her secret blog, where she posts such things as 'Im so depressed, I want to die.' and 'I wish I had some personal space.'

Nyaahahahaa!! (Jok lang boss.)

Jego said...

Nyaahahaha.. Such dedicated teachers. Where were they when I was in school?

grifter said...

That was transmitted to the Boss. That means a couple of digits off your impending salary increase. nyhahahahaha!

Zeppellina said...

Interesting that you should use this painting. This particular painting suffered intervention and overpainting in its history due to its erotic content. This caused conservationists a little concern when the painting was restored in 1958.
From "The cleaning of paintings" by Helmut Ruhemann..
" A characteristic instance occurred when the `Allegory` by Bronzino was cleaned at the National Gallery. One of the most disturbing things apart from the dark and yellowish varnish, was a poorly drawn veil over Venu`s body. Nobody doubted that it was a much later addition and ought to be removed. The question of a scientific test hardly arose.
Cupid was caressing Venus`s nipple and she put out her tongue for his kiss. Both of these details had been painted out later, and the overpainting had come away easily.
The loincloth was obviously added much earlier, probably in the 17th century.
But several weeks of scientific examination and deliberation did not solve the question of whether the twig which covered part of Cupid`s buttocks was original or not."
...As we all can see, the twig was removed!
The erotic content of this painting has always caused unease, so much so that it even came down to putting clothes on them!
Fortunately, it`s back to being its` old controversial self!
Good choice!