Etienne Aubert
Art Speaker: selection of about thirty monographs and themes (French and English languages)
Who is Etienne AUBERT? "Even though he studied art history, his emotion is drawn primarily from his earliest childhood, when he found himself frozen, dazzled, intoxicated, and sometimes even fragile in front of a work of art. Since his early adolescence, he has traveled to the four corners of the world. To better understand, he then rushes through museums and art galleries both in France and abroad. The mystery remains; the gaze is therefore decisive. His mind is nourished by art, which in turn elevates his soul. What he has been doing for years is sharing his unwavering passion for art, offering his own analysis, and contextualizing the works within their historical and civilizational setting. There is no possible equation between the work and the discourse. No discourse exhausts a work of art. This is undoubtedly what makes every interpretation infinite and fascinating. With the work of art, there is a mysterious presence because it is silent."
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- Conference : 2300 €
- Animation : 2400 €
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Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Paul Marat... both revolutionaries!
Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Paul Marat... both revolutionaries! "Let Marat's head fall and the homeland is saved!" This will be the mission that Charlotte Corday will accomplish by assassinating "The Friend of the People" on July 13, 1793. With fascinating realism, the body of this fervent revolutionary, lying in a still steaming bathtub, will be captured live by the painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). Yet his beginnings as a painter were fraught with obstacles. It was in the workshop of Joseph-Marie Vien, the great master of neoclassicism, that David would become one of his successors. It was only on his fourth attempt at the Academy's painting competition in 1774 that he would finally be accepted. He would then make the famous journey to Rome that would completely change his perspective on painting.
John Singer Sargent … Dr Pozzi & Mrs X
To echo the current exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay on John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), one of the greatest portraitists of his time, I will discuss the artist's ten years in Paris (1874-84). The presentation of the portrait of Madame X at the Salon de Paris will be a success... of scandal, which will lead him to leave Paris for London. I will elaborate, in a playful and amused manner, on the privileged relationships he maintained with his British and Transatlantic patrons, clients, and models, then his highly controversial mural works at the Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, to which he dedicated the last three decades of his life, and finally the complex sexuality of the nomadic artist...
An hilarious and musical evening with Steve (crooner-entertainer) and pianist
The Steve O'Bear Show! An hilarious evening with Steve (crooner-entertainer) & Lauren (pianist) from American TV variety shows (50's-70's) including a dozen of the below-mentioned melodies (Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, Dean Martin ...) along with Anglo-American humorous sketches and jokes. I left my heart in San Francisco - Beyond the sea - When I fall in love - Misty - Satin Doll - The girl from Ipanema - Night and day - Unforgettable - L.O.V.E - Mona Lisa - Tea for two - The falling leaves - I love Paris - As time goes by - Strangers in the night - Blue gardenia - C'est magnifique - New York New York - Over the rainbow - Check to check - Quizas - The way you look tonight - Let's fall in love - My way - Willkommen - Happy endings - Singing in the rain - Three little words - S wondertul - What good is sitting - The good light - It had to be you - You do something to me - Everybody loves somebody - Love me tender - Make them laugh - Smile - They can't take that away from me - The more I see you - Good morning - I got rhythm - Some enchanted evening - The very thought of you - C'est si bon - Happy endings - You were meant for me - You are my lucky star - I could be happy with you - Darling, je vous aime beaucoup - Don't get around much anymore - That's amore - The shadow of your smile - Love is here to stay - When you're drinking - Thank heaven - Arrivederci Roma - The lullaby of Broadway - More - Hello Dolly - All I do is dream of you - Non dimenticar - Welcome to my world - True love... and much more.
American 'Musical' Dream of Irving Berlin, Ellington, Porter, Gershwin ...
The American 'musical' dream of Irving Berlin alongside Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Nat King Cole ... revisited by Etienne Aubert (alias Steve O'Bear), art lecturer and 'crooner-entertainer.' Irving Berlin became famous for his numerous musicals for which he composed the music. He achieved international success with "White Christmas," whose rendition by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single in the history of the record market, as well as "God Bless America," a patriotic song often considered the unofficial American national anthem. You will have the opportunity to perform these great tunes from the vast repertoire of American songs from the 20th century yourself ...
Seaside Baths Since the 17th Century ...
The use of seawater was already praised by ancient civilizations. The first baths appeared in the 17th century in Yorkshire, England, on the shores of the North Sea. Doctors had discovered the therapeutic virtues of the local spring water. A spa quickly came into being. People would come to stroll and regain their health by breathing in the salty air deeply. This therapeutic practice spread to France. Dieppe became the first seaside resort in France frequented by the French elite by the end of the 18th century. Marine cures were supposed to cure many ailments. It became fashionable to have a seaside vacation. The aristocracy gathered there to follow the example of the Duchess of Berry, the first to launch this fashionable trend in 1824. Numerous spas were established along the French coasts: in Touquet-Paris-Plage, Boulogne-sur-Mer, St Malo, Granville, Cherbourg, Deauville, Arcachon, Biarritz, Cannes ... They also became a place of sociability and entertainment for a refined clientele.
Louis XIV Protected the Arts. Versailles Coddles Its Contemporary Artists
Today's Versailles aims to be a lively, vibrant, attractive place, as if to recreate the emblem it was under the Sun King. This policy of prestige comes at a cost. Public money is becoming scarce. The bounty of patronage has its limits, even though in the 1920s, Versailles received a significant donation from the American John D. Rockefeller Jr. to fund its renovation. At Versailles, debates quickly exceed the confines of the castle and sometimes unleash passions. Juxtaposed classicism and contemporary art can spark a lively controversy. Contemporary art is sometimes violent and provocative. It is an international, worldly, and financial system, both public and secret. This mass phenomenon has elevated a pantheon of artists from Jeff Koons in 2007 to Olafur Eliasson in 2016. Last year, one of Anish Kapoor's works, "Dirty Corner," was splashed with yellow paint and received outrageous graffiti. The work, with its sexually explicit connotation as acknowledged by the artist, had sparked controversy since its installation in Le Nôtre's gardens. Versailles has no choice but to welcome its contemporary artists. Business is business!
Johannes Vermeer. Shhhhh! The Golden Century ...
Discovering Vermeer’s paintings is an invitation to silence: "Visitors should almost be made to wear slippers to admire Vermeer." We are in Delft in the 17th century, right in the heart of the Dutch Golden Age of painting. While history has retained the image of a painter forgotten in his time, Vermeer was actually well-known among his contemporaries. In his paintings, he constantly used the codes of traditional Dutch painting as much as he deviated from them, creating works with multiple mysteries. His paintings are turned inward. Only two paintings depict outdoor scenes, two exceptions that confirm the rule: The Little Street and The View of Delft. The specialization of painters during this time was very real. There was portrait painting, still life, and genre painting. Among the most renowned were Terborch, de Hooch, Steen, Van Loo, Dou, Netscher, Metsu, and Van Mieris. It took the relentless efforts of a few enthusiasts to trace his path in the 19th century. The "sphinx of Delft" left little trace of his life and art.
Diego Vélasquez, Court and Genre Painter ...
Vélasquez is undoubtedly the most famous painter of the Spanish Golden Age. The portraits of King Philip IV, the infants and infantes painted tirelessly by Vélasquez can sometimes become tiresome. In Seville, the young Vélasquez quickly distinguished himself in a genre highly appreciated by the elites, the 'bodegóne'. He depicts, in inn or kitchen interiors, characters of modest means seated around food and dishes. He paints them with the utmost attention, emotion, and sensuality. More striking is the series of portraits of dwarfs and jesters that he so generously 'bequeathed' to us. His perspective on disability is rich in teaching and modernity. He does not produce spectacle but a work of art in which the model is alone against a bare background. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Vélasquez was known and appreciated only in Spain. Knowledge and taste for this artist abroad only became possible from the 19th century when the Prado Museum was opened. Upon returning from a brief stay in Madrid in 1865, Manet wrote to Baudelaire: 'Vélasquez is the greatest painter he has ever had.'
Iconography of Romantic Abduction from Antiquity to Today. Let Me Enchant You
The iconography of romantic abduction from antiquity to today. Let me enchant you in an hour... Sexual desire in works of art is often represented by romantic abduction: the abduction of the Sabines, the abduction of Proserpine, the abduction of Europa... These themes have allowed artists to showcase their virtuosity in depicting opposing movements, contracted muscles, and thwarted flight. In this mix of sex and violence, the victim status is not always recognized for the abducted woman. The woman has seduced the man with her charms; her voluptuous body has excited the man's desire. Therefore, the man is not entirely responsible. In romantic abduction, desire often gives way to crime. The polysemy of the word 'ravishment' between violence and pleasure reveals all the ambiguity easily maintained by artists.
The Massacre of the Innocents by Poussin Amidst the Horrific Cries of Current Conflicts
This work represents a scene from the "Massacre of the Innocents" from the New Testament. Nicolas Poussin was inspired by several works of Raphael, Caravaggio, and Guido Reni. Unlike the latter, he limits the number of protagonists and reduces his palette to primary colors. His composition is built around the massacre of a single innocent by a soldier, focusing on the cry of pain of a woman trying to stop the murder of her child lying on the ground. Many artists from the 18th century to the present day, such as Picasso, Francis Bacon, and then Vincent Corpet, Jean-Michel Alberola, and Annette Messager, will interpret this dramatic scene in their own way. The press echoes photographs of the most recent massacres in the Middle East and the drowning of little Aylan found dead on the beach. Poussin's image responds to that of barbarism, cruelty, and ultimately the suffering related to war. The scene of the "Massacre of the Innocents" remains a timeless and universal theme.
Paula Modersohn-Becker, a singular artist. Her life is that of a comet
One of the pioneers of the Expressionist movement, she was the first woman to paint herself nude, and to paint herself nude while pregnant. Born in Dresden in 1876, she quickly joined independent artists in the small village of Worpswede north of Bremen. For about twelve years, she practiced her art by painting women and children from the peasantry in a frontal and poignant manner. On January 1, 1900, she fled her village to go to Paris to meet artists such as Gauguin, Modigliani, Cézanne, or Rousseau to join private studios. Her repeated stays in Paris created a tension within her between the duty of marriage and the need for freedom. She would not have enough time to paint, despite the 750 canvases and a thousand drawings she would create. She passed away in 1907 at the age of 31 shortly after giving birth. As she collapsed, she said "Schade!" (too bad). This would be her last word.
Edvard Munch, the Modern Eye ...
Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker, a precursor of expressionism. He would resolutely show himself as modern in his work and in his view of contemporary society. In his youth, he would quickly confront the death of his mother and his older sister. In adulthood, other women, such as Milly Thaulow or Tulla Larsen, would influence his life and career. With them, he would have tumultuous and sometimes violent romantic relationships. In May 1930, he suffered a retinal hemorrhage. Through his sick eye, he would transcribe his vision of floating bodies in his paintings with abstract motifs. Later, the Nazis would deem his work 'degenerate art' and remove his paintings from German museums. Throughout his life, he would relentlessly represent human anxiety and solitude in his canvases, torn between creative and destructive forces. He insisted above all on expressing what he felt. 'We will not die, it is the world that dies for us' would be his last words shortly before his passing in January 1944, the same year as Piet Mondrian and Vassily Kandinsky.
Madeleine, Joseph, Laure … the black model in 20th-century painting
Driven by three key moments: the time of the abolition of slavery (1794-1848), the time of the New Painting (Manet, Bazille, Degas, Cézanne), and the time of the first avant-gardes of the 20th century such as Matisse, the subject of the black model has been too long neglected: the significant contribution of black individuals and personalities has marked the history of art. Until 1848, black people had no name, nor did they have rights. Théodore Géricault says nothing about the men and women of color he had pose, but we know he used the famous model Joseph, originally from Haiti, in his iconic work "The Raft of the Medusa." Joseph embodies the bare-chested sailor, waving at the top of the barrel the scarf of collective hope. The French painter Marie-Guillemine Benoist painted in 1800 the portrait of a young black woman initially named "Portrait of a Negress," later renamed "Portrait of a Black Woman," and most recently "Portrait of Madeleine." For her, a new life begins.
Mary Magdalene! Who said she couldn't be seen in painting...
Mary Magdalene, one of the most enigmatic figures in the Bible, evokes the most fantasy. She has profoundly influenced Western culture in the Middle Ages. A model of repentance and a female model for the Church, she remains a figure of holiness more accessible than the Virgin Mary. Many artists such as Titian, Caravaggio, Georges de La Tour, El Greco, or Delacroix have continually been inspired by this ambiguous biblical character, both sinful and repentant, voluptuous and ascetic, worldly and hermit. She is described in various ways, but what recurs is her magnificent red hair. Red hair in a woman symbolizes passion, fervor, and eroticism, and above all, it is a purely voluntary iconography. She is perceived as an object of desire. The beauty of the body and the beauty of the soul are united in this saint who, for a long time, has crossed the threshold of religion to invest in the field of arts and letters in the 19th century. Some excesses have been denounced. A renewal of religious art breaks with traditional canons. "The Dinner at Simon the Pharisee" by Jean Béraud in 1891 is a fine example. Mary Magdalene appears as a notorious demi-mondaine surrounded by contemporary political and literary figures...
Pentathlon of the Muses ... when the Olympics were artistic
Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), founder of the modern Olympic Games, wanted to associate art with sport. In reflection of the motto "mens sana in corpore sano", he responded with more enthusiasm: "a fiery spirit in a muscular body." Thus was born the "Pentathlon of the Muses" divided into five categories: painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, and music. At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, about thirty artists presented original artworks inspired by sport. At the Paris Olympics in 1924, over 190 candidates exhibited their works. In 1932, the Los Angeles Olympics achieved great success with 380,000 visitors at the Museum of Science, History, and Art. In 1949, artistic competitions were abolished and replaced by an exhibition without prizes or medals. Franco-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi unveiled her tapestry (9x3m) at the Gobelins Manufactory. An emblematic piece of the Olympics, it will soon be exhibited at the Hotel de la Marine. Etienne Aubert, art lecturer Contact: aubert.etienne@orange.fr
Revolution and Scandals in the History of Art from Giotto to Manet ...
Giotto, the initiator of the Italian Renaissance, will scandalize the art world with his break from Byzantine tradition. Veronese will shock the religious world with his painting "The Feast in the House of Levi," originally titled "The Last Supper." Other bold artists will follow, such as Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Paul Veronese, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Francisco de Goya, Gustave Courbet, and especially Edouard Manet with his Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass. All will be eager to provoke their contemporaries. Nothing is done without scandal.
Genius Forgers, Experts, and Sulfurous Art Dealers. What Does the Police Do?
The first forgeries date back to the Roman Empire. From Michelangelo himself to Cesare Tubino, many mystifiers appear. Forgers all have enigmatic personalities. Mark Landis became an art forger not out of taste but rather out of philanthropic spirit, or neurosis. Han van Meegeren, little recognized in his art, will be one of the greatest forgers of Vermeer. He even managed to sell a fake Vermeer to the looter Göering during World War II. The cases of Beltracchi, Greenhalgh, Ribes, Legros, and many others have made headlines in recent decades. A forger rarely works alone. The greatest talent requires the establishment of a network to launder and give pedigree to counterfeit works. The forger thus partners with con artists who will act as experts, brokers, or dealers. "Without forgers, the world would be quite sad," said Paul Valery.
German Expressionism: Kirchner, Macke, Kandinsky... Expressive, isn't it!
At the beginning of the 20th century, this movement deeply rooted in Northern Europe is a reaction to French Impressionism, which was still focused on depicting physical reality. German Expressionism, on the other hand, no longer clings to this reality and subjects it to the artist's emotional states. It seeks more to express the world than to truly show it. Munch's "The Scream" is the first reference for the two groups of German painters: "Die Brücke" and "Der Blaue Reiter". This art opposes the official art protected by Wilhelm II. This new artistic movement is both fascinated and horrified by the rhythms of the city and modernity. It reflects a pessimistic view of reality on the eve of World War I. In 1937, the Nazis organized a major exhibition of "degenerate art" in Munich, which they presented as subversive painting. This purging of the arts met with little major resistance from the population and led to the exile of the greatest creators.
The Art of Ensor! Call Me Ensor. James Ensor ...
"My childhood was filled with wonderful dreams, and the visits to my grandmother's shop, shimmering with reflections of shells and the sumptuousness of lace, strange stuffed beasts and terrible weapons of savages terrified me." Masks, ghosts, skulls, skeletons, and other macabre figures juxtaposed in bizarre arrangements: the work of Belgian artist James Ensor (1860 - 1949) is grotesque, ironic, sometimes aggressive and provocative, but always carried by a deep humor. In his early days, Ensor devoted himself to plein air painting and was a companion of European realism and naturalism. Later, he developed a specifically Belgian variant of symbolism. In his most well-known creative phase, the grotesque becomes the main characteristic of his art. He is a precursor of expressionism. In 1933, he was proclaimed "Prince of Painters"; he would die covered in honors, but these seem to have come to him too late.
Like all their ephemeral works, you will be quickly captivated
In over 50 years, Christo (who passed away in 2020) and his wife (who passed away in 2009) created 22 monumental works. All are ephemeral works that millions of visitors can admire for about two weeks, while it sometimes took more than twenty-five years to obtain the necessary permits. As usual, Christo self-finances the packaging through the sale of his sketches and collages, refusing any private sponsorship or public funding. Other projects have remained on the drawing board due to lack of permits. "We have abandoned some projects," the artist confides, "but others have remained in our hearts and minds." After creating forests of umbrellas, wrapping the Reichstag and the Pont Neuf, dressing Central Park in saffron, and building floating piers on Italy's Lake Iseo, Christo had a project for an installation of 410,000 oil barrels set in the desert of Abu Dhabi, inspired by Egyptian funerary monuments. If this project, launched in 1977, were realized, it would then become the only permanent work of the couple.
Ignored, mocked, misunderstood, mysterious... Cézanne, open up!
Cézanne is the prototype of the cursed artist. Recognition came late, at the age of 56, when he no longer expected it. In 1895, on the advice of Pissarro and Renoir, his friends, an ambitious young dealer, Ambroise Vollard, dedicated his first retrospective in Paris. Cézanne had eleven years left to live. What he loves is leading a calm and laborious life, working tirelessly from nature or in his studio, to create portraits, landscapes, or still lifes. This secretive and wild artist appears as a mystery. The painter will become a hero, a martyr victim of the misunderstanding of his contemporaries. He then paves the way for modernity. From cubism to fauvism and abstraction, the major movements of the 20th century will claim the Aix painter. "He is our father" said Picasso. Throughout the 20th century, the greatest international museums acquired works by the master. And the market has continued to sanctify him. He is now part of the very exclusive club of the most expensive Impressionist artists in the world.
Nicolas de Staël ... in the Light of His Vertigo
From his adolescence, Nicolas de Staël, awed by the beauty of the world, is in search of light even in the depths of darkness. This Russian immigrant, adopted at the age of eight by a family in Brussels, left for Morocco in August 1936. The first word he writes in his travel diary is clarity. Enchanted by light, he stays there for almost a year. He has always granted himself the freedom not to choose between the figurative and the abstract, even as the controversy between abstraction and figuration was emerging at that time. During his short fifteen-year career, he painted over a thousand paintings and just as many drawings, including portraits, landscapes, large formats, and tiny paintings. He made wood engravings for the creation of a book of Poems illustrated by him in collaboration with his friend René Char. Nicolas de Staël needs shock to then retreat to his studio and paint. This was the case for the series of Footballers at the Parc des Princes in March 1952, or the Agrigente series during his stay in Sicily in the summer of 1953. "One never paints what one sees or believes to see. One paints a thousand vibrations of the blow received," he says. On the night of March 16, 1955, he is alone, exhausted by the fatigue of the work accomplished. He goes out onto the terrace of his studio. In front of him, the Fort-Carré of Antibes. "But the vertigo, I quite like that. I sometimes hold onto it at all costs, in large," he writes in 1954 to his poet friend Pierre Lecuire.
Red like Rothko
One of the emblematic artists of the 20th century, a symbol of abstract expressionism, Mark Rothko immediately invites us into a mystical reverie and a meditative ecstasy like no other. According to him, "the tragic and exhilarating experience is for me the only source of art." His early works are initially figurative, then mythological, surreal, "multiform" to finally reach the sublime in abstraction. It is precisely in the 1950s that his career begins, notably thanks to the collector Duncan Philips, who buys many of his paintings and dedicates an entire room to him. Rothko hated the idea that visitors could be disturbed by works other than his own. His meeting in 1964 with Jean and Dominique de Menil, Franco-American philanthropists and collectors, will propel him into the sublimation of his career towards the spiritual. The Rothko Chapel in Houston (Texas) will be his last major artist project, an epiphany of abstract art. Although the success is indeed swift, Mark Rothko took his own life in 1970 in his Manhattan studio. "Perhaps he felt rejected by an art world whose ephemeral tastes had turned towards younger and mediocre artists."
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About "L'Origine du Monde" after Courbet
Gustave Courbet is over 200 years old today and he is very much alive! His most famous painting, created in 1866, "L'Origine du Monde", was sold to the wealthy Ottoman diplomat and great art collector, Khalil-Bey. But do you know under what surprising conditions? Two years later, ruined by gambling, women, and his lavish lifestyle, he sold his collection of paintings. Back in Constantinople, he married Princess Nazli, who would become one of the leading figures in the emancipation of Arab women. In a few major milestones, I will tell you the story and journey of this notorious painting. It changed hands from 1868 to 1954, when Jacques Lacan acquired it in utmost discretion. This legendary masterpiece finally entered the Musée d'Orsay in 1995. Many contemporary artists will interpret Courbet's work in their own way. The latest twist came in 2018! This painting now has a face and a name after more than 150 years of scandals, censorship, and fantasies.
Conference-Show about Gustave Courbet
Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 7 PM, Chatelet, Paris 2nd: An unprecedented conference-show on stage about Gustave Courbet Conference-Show Etienne Aubert, art lecturer *** Everything you always wanted to know about "The Origin of the World" by Gustave Courbet and that I dare to tell you *X Unprecedented show! You have a room equipped with a giant screen (or not), I travel in France and abroad. Intervention in French or English duration: 1h15 + debate You learn a lot about art and the history of art ... under the sign of Phumour
Conference-show on "The Origin of the World" by Gustave Courbet
Performance on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 7 PM, Salle Jean Dame, 17 rue Léopold Bellan, 75002 Paris
Cultural and Humorous Stand-Up on The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet
cultural and humorous stand-up
Piero della Francesca, painter and mathematician of the Quattrocento
art conference with projection
From N. Poussin's 'Massacre of the Innocents' to Photos of Current Conflicts
From N. Poussin's 'Massacre of the Innocents' to the most poignant photographs of a mother facing the horror of current conflicts. This work represents a scene from the 'Massacre of the Innocents' from the New Testament. Poussin was inspired by several works of Raphael, Caravaggio, and Guido Reni. Unlike the latter, he limits the number of protagonists and reduces his palette to primary colors. His composition is built around the massacre of a single innocent by a soldier, focusing on the cry of pain of a woman trying to stop the murder of her child lying on the ground. Many artists from the 18th century to the present day, such as Picasso, Francis Bacon, and then Vincent Corpet, Jean-Michel Alberola, and Annette Messager, will interpret this dramatic scene in their own way. The press echoes photographs of the most recent massacres in the Middle East and the drowning of little Aylan found dead on the beach. Poussin's image responds to that of barbarism, cruelty, and ultimately the suffering related to war. The scene of the 'Massacre of the Innocents' remains a timeless and universal theme.
Unconfine me, unconfine me! Yes, but not too fast
This is what Veronica Franco, a renowned courtesan and poet from 16th century Venice, would have whispered in the ear of King Henry III of France during his brief stay in Venice. This is what Sarah Goodridge, a 19th century American miniaturist, would have suggested to Daniel Webster, her lover, by offering him her self-portrait titled "Beauty Revealed," depicting her breasts in a watercolor miniature on ivory. This is what "The Venus at the Mirror" by Diego Velasquez would have implored from her son Cupid and from the viewer/voeur so that her face could finally be unveiled. This is what Ron Mueck's "Big Baby II" was demanding, as it had already been confined for nine months in its mother's womb, ... ... and many other amusing and surprising anecdotes from the art world that will surely entertain you after this long-awaited unconfined moment. To the "memento mori," respond with "carpe diem." And you, unconfine yourself!
Racont'Arts: Surprising and Hilarious Anecdotes from the Art World
A collection of surprising and hilarious anecdotes from the art world. Do you know under what circumstances Michelangelo's Pietà, Velázquez's Venus with a Mirror, Rembrandt's Night Watch, and Marcel Duchamp's urinal were vandalized by deranged individuals? Is it true that our Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, had a mold made of her breast to create the "breast bowl" also known as the "nipple dish" intended for tasting milk for the dairy of Rambouillet? What is the origin of the word "bourdaloue," a kind of oblong chamber pot that devout women used in the 17th century during long sermons that made their bladders suffer? Finally, do you remember Jacques-Louis David's "The Death of Marat"? How could he have captured the lifeless body lying in a still steaming bathtub with such fascinating realism? Many other surprising and sometimes hilarious anecdotes from the art world will surely catch your attention.
The Crucifixion in the History of Art. The Cross and the Manner!
The crucifixion in the history of art. The cross and the manner! Did you know that we owe the punishment of crucifixion to the Persians in the 5th century BC? Unfortunately, it was a rather common mode of execution at the time. Seventy-one years before our era, the slave revolt led by Spartacus resulted in the crucifixion of about 6000 people. For all those who had the opportunity to witness this punishment, the cross represented an object of horror. This lasted for several centuries, until the prohibition of crucifixion by Constantine around 320. This is probably what explains the extreme rarity of crucifixes in the early centuries. It wasn't until the 5th century that crucifixes appeared, and even then they depicted Jesus dressed
Pierre Bonnard, an unclassifiable colorist. Simply good art!
Pierre Bonnard, an unclassifiable colorist. Simply good art! "I am of no school, I only seek to create something personal," said Pierre Bonnard, the Japonard Nabi. He offers us his colors that he manipulates to perfection: incandescent reds, mouth-watering oranges, unreal mauves, dazzling yellows... he is the virtuoso master of light. He composed most of his works in his house in Vernonnet in Normandy and in that of Cannet on the Côte d'Azur, far from the Parisian hustle and bustle. He painted throughout his life landscapes, portraits, interior scenes. Nudes, more nudes. In a play of mirrors, beautiful mysterious women appear. Marthe is not the only one... Pierre Bonnard is introspective, sometimes cheerful, sometimes anxious as when he represents himself in the guise of a boxer. Etienne Aubert Art lecturer
The 'Last Painting' of Famous Artists!
The 'Last Painting' of Famous Artists! Young or old, death strikes unexpectedly. There are no rules, let alone justice. Death comes swiftly, regardless of the age and health of the painter. He may pass away in his twenties or beyond ninety, sometimes due to an accident like Signorelli falling from a scaffold, or sometimes expected like Cézanne, who was ravaged by diabetes, writing this letter: 'My dear Bernard, I am old, sick, and I have sworn to die while painting.' Some 'last paintings' read like testimonies from artists who see death looming on the horizon. Nicolas de Staël will create a monumental last work, even a testament, as a final letter before the death he was about to inflict upon himself. But the last painting is sometimes also the space to sing life, where the painter disregards appearances and represents himself still vigorous, like a sick Malevitch who, until his death, was watched over by his canvases. In the absence of a 'beautiful death,' all these painters could at least boast of having beautiful last paintings... What does the ultimate canvas of the painter who dedicated his last days to it tell us?
The 'Last Painting' of Famous Artists!
The 'Last Painting' of Famous Artists! Young or old, death strikes unexpectedly. There are no rules and even less justice. Death comes swiftly, regardless of the age and health of the painter. They may disappear in their twenties or beyond ninety, sometimes due to an accidental death like Signorelli falling from a scaffold, or sometimes expected like Cézanne, who, suffering from diabetes, wrote this letter: 'My dear Bernard, I am old, sick, and I have sworn to die while painting.' Some 'last paintings' read like testimonies from artists who see death looming on the horizon. Nicolas de Staël will create a monumental final work, even a testament, as a last letter before the death he would give himself. But the last painting is sometimes also the space to sing life, where the painter disregards appearances and represents themselves as still vigorous, like a sick Malevich who, until his death, was watched over by his canvases. In the absence of a 'beautiful death', all these painters could at least boast of having beautiful last paintings for themselves... What does the ultimate canvas of the painter who dedicated their last days to it tell us?
Francis Bacon, painter of "meat" and Lucian Freud, painter of "flesh"
Francis Bacon, painter of "meat" and Lucian Freud, painter of "flesh" but both are blood brothers. In his early days, Balthus found inspiration in the works of the Italian Renaissance, particularly those of Piero della Francesca and Masaccio. He quickly gave way to his erotic obsessions by modeling young nubile girls, languid and half-asleep. His landscapes and still lifes are of unparalleled quality. He painted mysterious groups, a street where dream automatons parade; he created focused portraits. The poet Antonin Artaud said of Balthus's painting that it smelled of "plague, storm, epidemics." Ambiguity is a major component of Balthus's aesthetic. Throughout his life, he relentlessly forged his own legend. Fourteen years after his death, galleries are clamoring for his paintings. His work has lost none of its troubling seduction. Etienne Aubert Art lecturer
Balthus, Count Balthasar Klossowski de Rola and King of Cats. Myth or Reality?
Balthus, Count Balthasar Klossowski de Rola and King of Cats. Between Myth and Reality! In his early days, Balthus found inspiration in the works of the Italian Renaissance, particularly in those of Piero della Francesca and Masaccio. He quickly gave way to his erotic obsessions, modeling young nubile girls, languid and half-asleep. His landscapes and still lifes are of exceptional quality. He painted mysterious groups, a street where dream automatons parade; he created focused portraits. The poet Antonin Artaud said of Balthus's painting that it smelled of "plague, storm, epidemics." Ambiguity is a major component of Balthus's aesthetic. Throughout his life, he relentlessly forged his own legend. Fourteen years after his death, galleries are clamoring for his paintings. His work has lost none of its troubling seduction.
History and Life of Breasts in Art
History and Life of Breasts in Art Throughout history, artists have continuously unveiled them. Emblems of sensuality and motherhood, breasts fascinate men and nourish babies. The stone statuette of the Venus of Willendorf, over twenty-five millennia old, displayed an overdeveloped belly with monumental breasts. Drawing from mythology, the Bible, and Roman history, artists have always called upon famous models whose exhibition of nudity ensures the success of the work. Very often, the model overshadows the subject. Later, many European artists such as Tintoretto, Rubens, Caravaggio, Mellin, or Greuze would create moving scenes, those of Roman Charity, the suicide of Lucretia, or the tortures inflicted on Agatha. One of the most famous naked women, carrying the French flag and "leading the people," symbolizes the aesthetic and political power of the naked breast. The Femen have merely imitated her. What would history itself be without breasts? Or saints for that matter, but that is not the subject ... Etienne Aubert Art Lecturer
Gustav Klimt. Sex and Desire. Oh my God, it's Freud!
Gustav Klimt. Sex and Desire. Oh my God, it's Freud! Gustav Klimt lived surrounded by women whom he sketched in his studio. He represents them nude, sensual, independent, sometimes old, erotic, and even very ambiguous. They seem to pose a danger to the 'masculine' order of this dusty fin-de-siècle Vienna. The enigma of the feminine, which fascinates him to the point of obsession, brings him closer to Sigmund Freud. Just like the latter, his reaction to the conformist and stifling society will disrupt the codes. Breaking away from the academism of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he did not fail to shock the Viennese with 'the Beethoven frieze' exhibited at the Palais de la Sécession in 1902. It doesn't matter if he is banned by the official authorities. The wealthy Viennese demand portraits of their wives from him. He also dedicates himself to painting landscapes in vivid colors during his stays on the shores of Attersee with Emilie Flöge, his secret and discreet muse. He paints his landscapes with the same trembling, the same sensuality that he puts into his female portraits. He is close to the pointillism of Seurat, Van Gogh, and Bonnard. We know almost nothing about him. There is no correspondence. 'Anyone who wishes to know me as an artist, and that is all that really matters, must look carefully at my paintings and try to glean what I am and what I want,' Gustav Klimt will say.
The Representation of the Image of Women from the Paleolithic to the Present Day
The representation of the image of women from the Paleolithic to the present day Strange ladies like the Venuses of Lespugue and Willendorf from the Upper Paleolithic! Who will be the first artists to depict a female nude in sculpture and painting? In what curious vessel did Queen Marie-Antoinette drink her milk? Why did the animal painter Rosa Bonheur need a permit to leave her studio? Why did Gustav Klimt become the portraitist of the wealthy bourgeois women of Vienna at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries? Finally, how did Philipp Halsman, fashion photographer and portraitist, make his famous models like Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, or the Duke and Duchess of Windsor "jump for joy"? Here, the works reveal their often unknown backgrounds to the public.
The Toilet, Intimacy of the Nude, in the History of Art
The toilet, intimacy of the nude, in the history of art How has art staged hygiene customs over time? Paintings, engravings, photographs, and sculptures traverse the ages from the 14th century to the present day. The images outline a history of the body, morals, and rituals in a dialogue between hygiene and intimacy. The toilet is merely a pretext for nudity. Manet, Degas, and Bonnard will impose the image of the everyday nude, women at their toilet, bodies exposed. They describe a new practice, the toilet, the evolution of bodily rituals, and the emergence of a space dedicated to them. A place closes, gestures are invented. The individual appropriates a time that belongs only to them. Since the end of World War II, running water has continued its slow conquest in private homes. The bathroom is the site of this new ritual, popularized by the beauties of advertising photography. The theme of the toilet offers the avant-gardes the opportunity to account for, through deconstructed forms, intimate and collective sufferings. The 21st century brings the motif of the toilet into a consumer society between intimacy and exhibition.
Iconography of the Abduction of Love from Antiquity to the Present. Let Me Enchant You
Iconography of the Abduction of Love from Antiquity to the Present. Let Me Enchant You in an Hour! Sexual desire in works of art is often represented by the abduction of love: the abduction of the Sabines, the abduction of Proserpine, the abduction of Europa... These themes have allowed artists to showcase their virtuosity in depicting opposing movements, contracted muscles, and thwarted flight. In this mix of sex and violence, the victim status is not always recognized for the abducted woman. The woman has seduced the man with her charms, her voluptuous body has excited the man's desire. The man is therefore not entirely responsible. In the abduction of love, desire often gives way to crime. The polysemy of the word 'ravissement' between violence and pleasure reveals all the ambiguity easily maintained by artists.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Courbet's "The Origin of the World"
Everything you wanted to know about Courbet's "The Origin of the World" ... and that I dare to tell you Gustave Courbet is two hundred years old today and he is very much alive. His most famous painting, created in 1866, "The Origin of the World," was sold to the wealthy Ottoman diplomat and great art collector, Khalil-Bey. But do you know under what surprising conditions? Two years later, ruined by gambling, women, and his lavish lifestyle, he sold his collection of paintings. In a few major milestones, I will recount the story and journey of this infamous painting. It changed hands from 1899 to 1955, when Jacques Lacan acquired it in utmost discretion. A final twist in 2018! This painting now has a face and a name after 150 years of scandals, censorship, and fantasies.
Contemporary Art. Art or Non-Art. It's Up to You!
How and why does a urinal become a work of art in 1917? Marcel Duchamp's 'ready-made' causes a scandal. An object diverted from its utilitarian function becomes a work of art by the artist's will. In the 1950s, inspired by Duchamp, the 'Pop Art' movement is born, with Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, followed by Andy Warhol as its precursors. The characteristics are as follows: popular, ephemeral, disposable, cheap, mass-produced, sexy, fascinating... and highly profitable. In the 1990s, two contemporary artists will make headlines and stir controversy: Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. The latter will loudly proclaim: 'Art is the ability to manipulate people.' Both will elevate this art to the level of an industry attracting the new wealthy of this planet. The quarrel is not extinguished. It is fueled by the explosion of prices, the spectacularization of proposals, and the support of renowned institutions, as illustrated by the sometimes controversial 'installations' at the Château de Versailles and in international contemporary art fairs. But what is the future of contemporary art?
Art Speaker
Art conferences from the Upper Paleolithic to contemporary art through the Italian Renaissance, with projections animated by Etienne Aubert, speaker. Proposal of about thirty conferences (thematic and monographs) Intended for private and public institutes Intended for cultural centers Intended for art galleries Intended for companies in the event context: projection on a large screen or on the facade of a monument. Duration of the presentation and choice of artworks tailored to be defined with the decision-maker. Another activity: "Art at my Salonnières": Home art conferences led by Etienne Aubert, founder. Phone: +33 612 211 123 Email: aubert.etienne@orange.fr 01: Contemporary art. Art or non-art? You decide. 02: The iconography of romantic abduction from antiquity to the present day. Let me delight you! 03: The emancipation of women in art at the turn of the century. 04: The toilette, intimacy of the nude, in the history of art. 05: The representation of women in art from the Paleolithic to the present day. 06: Gustav Klimt. Sex and desire. Oh my God, it’s Freud! 07: Pierre Bonnard, unclassifiable colorist. Just good art. 08: Balthus, Count Balthasar Klossowski de Rola and king of cats. Between myth and reality! 09: Crime scenes in the paintings of the Louvre. No one leaves! 10: Come to my place, I will show you the influence of Japanese prints on Western art since the 19th century. 11: The "last painting" of famous artists. Young or old, death strikes unexpectedly. 12: History and life of breasts in art. 13: Francis Bacon, painter of "meat" and Lucian Freud, painter of "flesh". But both are blood brothers! 14: The child in art. It’s not just the child Jesus or the putto! 15: Mary Magdalene! Who said she couldn’t be seen in painting? 16: Revolution and scandals of classical art from Giotto to Manet. 17: The crucifixion in the history of art. The cross and the manner. 18: Long ignored, mocked, cursed, misunderstood, mysterious... Cézanne, open up! 19: Racont’Arts: Surprising and hilarious anecdotes from the art world (6 series). 20: The great courtesans of Greco-Roman antiquity to our Parisian "minute coquettes". 21: Everything you always wanted to know about "The Origin of the World" by Courbet and that I dare to tell you. 22: The art of Ensor. Call me James. James Ensor. 23: Paula Modersohn-Becker, pioneer of expressionism. A very short career! 24: Edvard Munch, the modern eye. 25: Johannes Vermeer. Shhh! The Golden Age. 26: Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Like all their ephemeral works, you will be quickly captivated. 27: Diego Velasquez, court painter and barn painter. 28: Genius forgers, experts, and sultry art dealers. What is the police doing? 29: Black romanticism of Goya and Füssli. When incubi and succubi visit you at night. 30: Madeleine, Joseph, and many other black models of our great 19th-century painters. 31: The Conjuror by Hieronymus Bosch. No detail will be concealed from you! 32: Jean-Jacques Lequeu (1757-1826), brilliant draftsman and builder of fantasies, but a famous unknown. 33: From the "Massacre of the Innocents" by Nicolas Poussin to the photographs of the most poignant cry of a mother facing the horror of current conflicts. 34: Unconfine me, unconfine me! Yes, but not right now, not too fast...