Pigiamas Market Italy

Dear Art Lover,

     Not everything works in Italy.  I say that as a person with little fashion sense.  Saturday, my neighbors took me into town.  I had to pay a bill and do other errands.  Also, I am gradually trying to prepare for this upcoming surgery and thus I decided to shop for pyjamas since I have none and do not want to be embarrassed when I have an overnight stay in a hospital.  But, I am ahead of myself.

    We passed the fruits and veggie vendors in a small piazza and headed into the Saturday market in Pescia, Italy, in Piazza Mazzini.  We first saw a booth selling lots of red panties.  So, I had the opportunity to share with my British neighbor the New Year’s Eve tradition of wearing red panties that I learned about in a fun way many years ago.

Italian New Year's Eve Tradition:  Wear red panties that night for good luck

       So, ready for a pigiama party?  So, it seems that what is available for single women my age (or even non-singles I suppose) in the “non-lingerie” category of PJs is either to dress like a nonna (grandmother) or like a little girl.  But here is the thing:  More and more you see English, or rather, an attempt at English, being used on products or store names in Italy.  They do not always work.  Sometimes we English speakers cannot even make out what words are intended, as in this hanging pyjama top, which caused my Brit neighbor and me to tilt our heads in confusion.

     I never appreciated that fashion fad in the US over a decade ago in which women were supposed to wear an outfit in black and white with obvious patterns that resemble those of a cow.  Along those same lines, look closer at this top with the nonsensical English:  What woman, especially a “mature” woman, wants to wear a dangling udder between spread legs?  I understand that sheep are the symbol of sleepiness (or not), but seriously, who comes up with this stuff?

     Or how about this farting cow with the snow-capped letters spelling out “Happy”?  The text says, “Feel with your heart, and strive to forward, to be grateful”  At least the designer did not punctuate that with a “full stop” as the British call it or a “period” as Americans refer to the end of a complete sentence.  I am also a bit surprised because I rarely think anymore that there is a place in Italy that does not have easy access to a native English speaker. 

     Sigh, and in case you are wondering because I KNOW you are curious:  I ended up buying a men’s pair of jammies in a solid color of slate blue with very soft fabric and lounging room… with pockets for phone and camera, no less.  Hahah.. well, I still will not ever win any fashion awards, and I am likely to remain single for the rest of my life.  

     See the red panties tradition post here:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2012/01/italy-new-years-eve-tradition.html

.

Peace,

Kelly

P.S.  Please check out the “Raccolta e Regalo” sale I am having on selected artworks.. good through Dec 31, 2016.  http://www.borsheimarts.com/SaleArt2016-LaRaccoltaeIlRegalo.htm

http://BorsheimArts.com

 

New Years Eve Lascivious Sculpture

Dear Art-loving friend,

     In 2009 I began a tradition for this blog.  With the idea of living closer to the Earth, more Natural, as it were, I decided to celebrate the coming of a new year with an NYE blog post featuring naughty art; art forms not unlike some of the art you might see in Pompeii, Italy.  Many consider Pompeii to be full of erotic art, and fair enough.  Those Italians thought of a male erection as a sign of prosperity and fertility, i.e., a wondrous event to celebrate and enjoy the fruits or gifts the gods have given us.  Their homes often featured at the entrance a mosaic of some incredibly endowed human of the male persuasion.  It was not considered obscene.  It was seen as a welcoming wish for prosperity and abundance.

     I suspect that most figurative artists, at least, create some erotic art at some point in their lives.  I can say that safely since eroticism is quite personal and thus, the boundaries blurred for some people.  I suppose anything goes with just the right audience.

     In any event, I feel that I have been slacking off over the last several years in this particular genre. I had hoped to create at least one piece of intentionally erotic each year.  I have a few pieces in the works, but to be honest, I am trying to make my work at bit more … hmm.. subtle is not the word, GRAND?  but you will just have to wait and see for yourself.

     While I was visiting the Carusi Studios of marble carving in Carrara back in November, I saw a marble sculpture outside from an unknown artist.  Many artists use their studio space (the Carusi no doubt know, but I forgot to ask and today is the sharing day…)  I will admit that for all of the putti or just babies in art that I have seen, these two kinda gave me the creeps.  I think of them as the “lascivious babies” because seriously, have you ever seen such a passionate, sexy kiss between young ones?

    

I know that children enjoy mimicking adults, but these two seem far too young for that.  So, what is up?  However, the work is beautifully executed and also, the large belly of the baby girl made me think of how some artworks tell stories in that they show something of the past, present, and future in the same artwork.  Sometimes that means depicting a couple in the foreground (usually representing the present time) and then repeating them in the background (future and/or past, depending on where they are located in the painting, for example).  The big belly here serves to remind us that “one thing leads to another.”  This is not unlike the common placement in the US of the sexy lingerie shops existing RIGHT NEXT to the maternity stores.

     So. . . um, enjoy (?) these kissing babies.  Maybe even creepy romance is still better than war.  And let us work to make 2015 a year of peace and love and tons of fun!

Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com