Thursday, December 31, 2020

Enjoying Award Winning Old Movies_Before Night Falls

I was searching for old critically acclaimed movies that I have not seen before just recently. I discovered this 1990 film featured in my Starz Channel. I found it very entertaining and worth my time. Here's what Wikipedia says and a review by Roger Ebert.

Before Night Falls is a 2000 American biographical romantic drama directed by Julian Schnabel. The film is based on both the autobiography of the same name by Reinaldo Arenas—published in English in 1993 as well as Jana Boková's 1990 documentary Havana.

The screenplay was co-written by Schnabel, Lázaro Gómez Carriles and Cunningham O'Keefe. The film stars Javier Bardem (who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor), Johnny Depp, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott. The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival.

 

The Sound Track of the Movie

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Review by Roger Ebert: This is an artistic and visually bold film about the life of a gay talented poet and writer in the time of the Cuban Revolution. Javier Bardem is excellent as poet Reinaldo Arenas, a peasant child who becomes one of Cuba's great writers. The film takes us from the first days of the Cuban revolution to the dark days of totalitarian repression of all sexuality and creativity that is not condoned by the state. 

This is an excellent film, visually compelling with a narrative flow that is not smooth or consistent, but totally engaging all the same. The film artfully and entertainingly deals with the concept of whether and how the work of the artist and the actual life of the artist and then the later artistic depiction of the life of the artist are integrated. Schnabel does an excellent job of taking on this challenge, revealing the passages in the life of the artist that impact his work. Reinaldo Arenas made art from his life experiences but was able to maintain a surreal and absurdist aspect to the writing.  

Schnabel does this perfectly with his short collage like film-making, that is almost dream like with its entrances and exits of characters with little introduction or resolution. At first I thought this was a weakness of the film. Why were so many handsome men coming into Arenas' life and then leaving his life? Why were so many artists and writers his friends and allies and then they disappear?  

The more I thought about the film the more it became evident to me that this is the nature of both homosexuality and homosexual relationships as well as the voice of dissident artists in a repressive totalitarian dictatorship. This is terror indeed if we are afraid to know the names of our lovers or of our fellow sympathizers for fear that we will be turned in by them or forced to reveal their names. In the end the film is a great achievement in the ability to depict repression and the human forces that resist it. 

Awards and nominations 

2000: Venice International Film Festival: Silver Lion – Jury's special award: Julian Schnabel

2000: Venice International Film Festival: Coppa Volpi (Best Actor): Javier Bardem

 

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

How Many Museums Have you Visited in this List?

I have visited only two-the one in Las Vegas(#1) and the one in Manhattan,New York (#3). Those visits had occurred several years ago during my younger and curious years while residing here in the US.

The 10 Best Erotic Museums Around the World

Expand your sexual knowledge by taking a trip to any of these world renowned museums solely and exclusively dedicated to sex.

You may relate museums to grand spaces full of art and history, home to the academic and the touristy, but the truth is that these places can be a lot more unorthodox than you can imagine, especially if the main subject of attraction in theses galleries turns out to be sex. Yes, your next holiday trip can be full of as much sexual history, artifacts, imagery and even toys as you never thought possible by visiting any of the 10 best erotic museums of the world.

From giant penis formations in Reykjavik to Virtual Reality experiences in Manhattan, and whether you visit them out of curiosity, a few laughs, or even to get some ideas to take home to your partner, you can’t deny that these end up being some of the most interesting experiences to tell everyone about back home. These museums are here to satisfy your thirst for the new and the weird, so don’t think twice about it and check out these sweet spots.

 

1)   Erotic Heritage Museum, Las Vegas

We can’t really start a sexual history tour without first stopping in Las Vegas, can we? Sin City is home to one of the richest and most interesting sex museums in the world, with the Erotic Heritage Museum housing up to 1500 years on the history of sex, pleasure and contraception.

Yes, it may be all about sex, but you’ll notice that this place really did its job when it comes to documenting, archiving and exposing the sexual practices of everything and everyone around the world, from the citizens of Pompeii to the heads of the Third Reich, proving once more how sex is an instrument of power. You’ll leave this place feeling educated, empowered in your knowledge, and certainly a bit turned on. 

2)   Sexmuseum Amsterdam Venustemple

Next stop, Amsterdam. As one of the most liberal cities in the world thanks to its legalized prostitution and drug use, sex museums are, of course, a must in your tour when visiting the Netherlands. Heralding the city’s long history of sexual practices is the aptly named Venustemple, or the Temple of Venus, which houses a truly impressive variety of pictures, sculptures, life-sized models, and imagery, with entire walls covered in pornographic illustrations and explicit works of art that appeal to more than just the imagination.

Here, you can find a real sized model of Marilyn Monroe in the middle of one of her sexiest and most memorable scenes, walk through an entire hall dedicated to the Marquis de Sade, or explore Cleopatra’s legendary shenanigans with the Roman army. So, once you’re done checking out Amsterdams most iconic and historic sights and want to take a look at something a bit more unconventional, consider booking a visit to this temple.

 

3)   Museum of Sex, Manhattan

Anyone who tells you New York isn’t one of the sexiest cities in the world is an outright liar, and if you’re looking to prove them wrong, just book them a visit to MoSex, Manhattan’s very own sex museum, where you can go if you’re feeling up for some impressive sexual history or for some truly fun exhibits.

In true New York fashion, this museum houses an equal amount of some of the world’s most important artistic contributions, such as paintings by Picasso and Bill Bernstein’s iconic photographs, and the most state of the art sensory exhibitions, like an interactive virtual reality session were you end up being more than just a passive observant.

4)   Icelandic Phallological Museum, Reykjavik

This Reykjavik based museum is the Promised Land for all those with a phallic fixation, with a collection of over 280 penises and male genital parts exposed for your viewing pleasure.

This family owned museum was founded in 1997 and has since become the most extensive assortment of penile parts in the world, mainly from all sorts of animal species and even some allegedly belonging to fairytale creatures, so keep in mind before stepping in that you’re in for a mostly educational experience that answers to both the academic and the curious.

5)   L’Erótica Museum, Barcelona

This museum is placed in the heart of Barcelona, one of Europe’s most culturally rich cities, and this exquisite place is nothing but a reflection of that. Focusing more in the importance and influence of sex throughout history, from Greece and Rome to the early 20th century, a tour through this museum is an interesting and spicy complement to the amazing cocktail of art and culture you’ll get when walking around this city.

Combining archeology, literature and anthropology to get a wonderfully complete picture of eroticism, this building is filled with over 800 pieces of sexual history that cover ancient Asia and Europe, all displayed in sensuous exhibits that stimulate both academic and aesthetic purposes.

6)   Erotic Art Museum, Hamburg

If you find yourself in Hamburg looking for good sights, and even maybe a few drinks along the way, then the Erotic Art Museum is for you. This establishment feels less like a museum and more like a very chill, very chic bar gallery, except for, you know, all the porn and sex toys littering every surface.

This particular museum leans more towards modern art and erotic photography than sex history and documentation, making it a niche spot for artists, exhibits, and local cultural gatherings where you can feel the artistic influence of the city gathering in one very sensual place.

 

7)   World Erotic Art Museum, Miami

Miami owns its rightful place as one of the most fun and attractive cities in the world, but what makes it even better is that it is home to its very own erotic museum, where you can find some of the finest pieces of erotic art, photography and sculpture, all impeccably displayed.

What is most seductive about this museum has to be how it portrays sex as an important artistic influence across cultures form all over the world, be it Hindi, African, or Chinese, showcasing each piece in its own light and giving you the chance to appreciate sex in a whole new point of view.

8)   Sex Machines Museum, Prague

Think of a medieval carnival that meets a modern day sex shop and you have the Sex Machines Museum of Prague, where you can walk through entire halls and rooms of the most imaginative sex toys of known history.

If you ever thought that the sexual lives of 19th century dwellers must have been boring, you’re going to have to think again when you take a look at their voyeuristic chamber pots and steam powered vibrators, which are displayed along with innumerable other sex tools presented in their 300 exhibits.

9)   Erotic Renaissance Wax Museum, Hungary

Wax will always have a special place among the kinkiest sexual practices, and one proof of that is this Hungarian erotic museum entirely dedicated to medieval themed wax figures caught in the most compromising of positions.

More of a testament to wax sculpting skills than to sexual history in itself, you’ll be fascinated by the realness of these figures, from the texture of their skin to the looks of their genitals. As all figures are donned in Renaissance costumes, you’ll feel like you just walked into a 14th century orgy in the heart of Italy.

 

10)   Erotic Museum, Amsterdam

Located in the heart of the Red Light District, we take you back to Amsterdam and into this ode to the legacy of sex throughout this city. A three story building dedicated to the history of sex, pornography and prostitution, the Erotic Museum of Amsterdam gathers a wide collection of wax figures, imagery and even an interesting set of lithographs of John Lennon as you’ve never seen him before.

This entire museum shows you a particular view from inside of one the most sex centric cities in the world, and the best part is that it even counts with a souvenir shop if want to take a piece of this particular part of Amsterdam home.

 For details visit:

 https://axotca.com/10-best-erotic-museums-around-world/

Meanwhile enjoy a virtual tour of the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands









Monday, December 28, 2020

The Top 10 Most Erotic Artworks in the World

Throughout history artists have created erotic art. Defining erotic art is difficult since perceptions of both what is erotic and what is art fluctuate. A sculpture of a phallus in some African cultures may be considered a traditional symbol of potency though not overtly erotic. In addition, a distinction is often made between erotic art and pornography (which also depicts scenes of love-making and is intended to evoke erotic arousal, but is not usually considered art). The distinction may lie in intent and message; erotic art would be items intended as pieces of art, encapturing formal elements of art, and drawing on other historical artworks. Pornography may also use these tools, but is primarily intended to arouse one sexually. Nevertheless, these elements of distinction are highly subjective.

1. Gustave Courbet ‘The Origin of the World’

Top 10 Erotic Artworks courbet

Thank God ‘Brazilians’ weren’t common in the 19th century! This is by far the most graphic erotic painting ever created. Gustave Courbet’s painting ‘The Origin of the World’ hangs on the wall of the The Musée Orsay in Paris. It is a painting that portrays a woman’s thighs, torso, and, at the centre of attention, her unshaven genitals. The Orsay website celebrate this masterpiece of Art, and describe it as; “Courbet regularly painted female nudes, sometimes in a frankly libertine vein. But in The Origin of the World he went to lengths of daring and frankness which gave his painting its peculiar fascination. The almost anatomical description of female sex organs is not attenuated by any historical or literary device.” This painting was in no doubt privately commissioned by a specialist collector and is by far one of the most graphic depictions of the female anatomy ever painted.


 

2. Spring Pictures or Japanese Shunga Art

Top 10 Erotic Artworks Japanese Shunga Art

 

This is one I discovered at the British Museum in the Shunga exhibition ‘Spring pictures’ or shunga, art was produced in Japan between 1600-1900. This sexually explicit work is often tender, funny, beautiful and undoubtedly accomplished. Shunga art was produced by some of the masters of Japanese art, including Utamaro and Hokusai. Shunga were mostly produced within the popular school known as ‘pictures of the floating world’ (ukiyo-e), by celebrated artists such as Hishikawa Moronobu (died 1694), Kitagawa Utamaro (died 1806) and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Earlier, medieval narrative art in Japan had already mixed themes of sex and humour. Luxurious shunga paintings were also produced for ruling class patrons by traditional artists such as members of the Kano school, sometimes influenced by Chinese examples. This was very different from the situation in contemporary Europe, where religious bans and prevailing morality enforced an absolute division between ‘art’ and ‘pornography’. This piece explores bestiality as only the Japanese can imagine.

4. The Embrace by Egon Schiele

Top 10 Erotic artworks Schiele

I love the tenderness and passion that Egon Schiele portrayed. This painting is one of the most outstanding of the Vienna Secessionist period. While still studying art in Vienna, Schiele rapidly developed his own, unmistakeable language of form. Starting out from Art Nouveau, he combined ornamental structure with a fractured line and expressive colouring. Egon Schiele was born in Tulln in 1890 and grew up in humble conditions. Despite the protests of his uncle and guardian, Leopold Czihaczek, Schiele took the demanding entrance exam at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in 1906. However, he dropped out after only three years, due to fierce controversies with his professor, Christian Griepenkerl, who was opposed to all innovation in the visual arts. In 1909, Schiele founded the New Art Group together with such young artist friends as Anton Faistauer and Franz Wiegele. That same year, the group first presented itself at the Vienna Salon Pisko, but, after several exhibitions that were to follow, remained only loosely connected.


5. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec “In Bed, the Kiss”

Top 10 Erotic Artworks Toulouse Lautrec

This is so tender and beautiful! Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draftsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the decadent and theatrical life of fin de siecle Paris yielded an oeuvre of provocative images of modern life. This picture depicts two women having some downtime after a long night at the brothel.


6. Paul Gauguin Spirit of the Dead Watching

Top 10 erotic artworks Gauguin

Erotic and exotic! Paul Gauguin, renowned for his paintings of exotic idylls and Polynesian beauties, was a sadist who battered his wife, exploited his friends and lied to the world about the erotic Eden he claimed to have discovered on the South Sea island of Tahiti. This is not to say that he didn’t paint an exquisite and sensual diary of his exploits that remains a lasting legacy of his artistic output.


7. Duncan Grant – The Bathers

Top 10 Erotic Artworks Duncan Grant bathers

 

Beautiful graphic sensibility and sensual movement. This was painted in the summer of 1911 as part of a decorative scheme for the dining room at the Borough Polytechnic, at the Elephant and Castle, London. The theme of the room’s decoration was ‘London on Holiday’, and Grant responded by painting this idealised panorama of seven male nudes bathing. The nudes also represented the continuous movement of a single figure. Their bodies, like the water, are stylised to heighten the decorative effect of the image. Grant’s depiction of the male body was greatly influenced by Michelangelo’s ink studies and in particular his cartoon ‘Battle of Cascina’. The celebration of the male nude was underpinned by both artists by a personal homoerotic fascination.


8. Nancy Grossman – Head

Top 10 Erotic Artworks Nancy grossman

 

I was always taken by the S&M qualities of these sculptures by Nancy Grossman. In the 1960s, Grossman began creating her famous sculptures of heads, which she carefully carved from the wood of discarded telephone poles, overlaid with leather, and then adorned with zippers, glass eyes, enamel noses, spikes, and straps. While their size, shape, and facial features suggest masculinity, she refers to them as self-portraits, implying the mutability of gender and demonstrating that all artwork offers something of the artist. Exquisite as they are, the heads threaten to overshadow the rest of Grossman’s art, largely due to sensationalistic interpretations that see the sculptures exclusively in a sadomasochistic frame. But these works also contain the central aspects of Grossman’s art: an embrace of gender ambiguity, an interest in formal contradiction and conflict, an audacious use of leather, and a rich sensuality. Grossman’s sculptures appeal as much to the olfactory and tactile senses as to the visual; they taunt viewers with their invitation to touch.


9. Tom of Finland – Boots

Top 10 Erotic Artworks Tom of Finland

Both men and women love Tom of Finland! Great Touko Laaksonen (8 May 1920 – 7 November 1991) was best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, was a Finnish artist notable for his stylized homoerotic fetish art and his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. He has been called the “most influential creator of gay pornographic images” by cultural historian Joseph W. Slade. Over the course of four decades he produced some 3500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated primary and secondary sex traits with tight or partially removed clothing.


10. Tracey Emin – Pleasuring HerselfTop 10 Erotic Artworks Tracey Emin

I Have seen a similar animation to this needlework by La Emin. Tracey once said; Thinking about the narcissism behind what I do — the self, self, self — and how difficult it is for me to really share things, even though I think I am sharing all the time. Emin’s art is one of disclosure, using her life events as inspiration for works ranging from painting, drawing, video and installation, to photography, needlework and sculpture. Emin reveals her hopes, humiliations, failures and successes in candid and, at times, excoriating work that is frequently both tragic and humorous.

For Details visit:

https://www.artlyst.com/features/top-10-erotic-artworks/9/

 

 

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