Egon Schiele: The 10 year Artist

Egon Schiele, one of the most celebrated Arists of the last 100 years despite his very short lifespan.

Schiele lived in Vienna at a very colourful time in history,  born 12th June 1890 in a train station he was something of a child prodigy drawing from the age of 2. Schiele, in young adulthood, became a firm friend of Gustav Klimt who saw Schiele's talent and organised for models and patrons for the artwork of this young painter.

Egon always considered himself an eternal child which propelled his adolecent view of his sexual erotic paintings. And his honesty of himself and his female nudes ensured his notoriety along with his free spirited view of life.

The police were called to Schiele's studio after one of his legendary parties where erotic sketches were found, that led to the accusation of him seducing a minor and he was jailed pending the investigation. He was never found guilty but that didn't stop officials ripping up and burning some of his erotic drawings.

Tragedy struck Schiele and his family in 1918 when he lost his wife and child to the Spanish Flu virus and he himself died aged 28 only 3 days later.

But Egon Schiele has proven that the time he had on this planet was fruitful and by all accounts the amount of erotic (and other) art he has left for us to enjoy combined with the honest way in which he lived his life. Has shown the  two common denominators of his passion, sex and death, enveloped him to the very end.

It seems unjust that it was as he was becoming recognised for his portraits and artwork, he died, so he never got to enjoy the accalades he so craved. He did leave us however with a body of erotic work which continues to inspire erotic fans today.
Enjoy this.......and my other posts.......and if you have a comment, feel free to share your views.

Gustave Courbet: Father of French 19th Century Realism

Gustav Courbet, 1819-1877. A true individual who famously said he wanted to be remembered when he died with this statement..... "He belonged to no school, no church, no institution, no acadamy. Least of all to any régime other than the régime of Liberty".

Courbet has a huge volume of artistic works from Landscapes to Seascapes, from Portraits to numerous Self-Portraits, Still life, Social depiction. His range and interest was vast and he spearheaded the 19th Century Realism movement. But alas, as fantastic as this might be, my interests lay in one particular area of his expertise and you don't get any prize for guessing which area I refere to.

During the 1860's Gustave embarked on his erotic painting journey and many of his paintings would not be shown in public due to their graphic nature and his fascination with female genitalia. Those paintings that were displayed increased Courbet's notoriety.

This picture above "The Origin of Life" was not publicly displayed untill 1988 and at the time of it's painting in 1866 was subject to a police report.

Gustav in later life lived in exile, in part, because of his disagreements with Napoleon III and his refusal to comply with formalities, even after Napoleon III had offered him the cross of The Legion of Honor. And also  
his unpaid fines to the newly elected president.

Gustav Courbet passed away at the age of 58 on the 31st of December 1877 from liver disease after many years of excessive drinking.
I hope you like this blog, please leave a comment if it interests you! Untill next time...................

Mihály Zichy - Renowned Hungarian Erotic Artist

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me introduce to you, Mihály Zichy. If you don't know him already, he is a Hungarian Artist who started his adult life studying Law, and whilst studying Law also studied Art. Thankfully for fans of Erotica like us, Law took second place as he pursued his fantastic talent for art, more to the point, his talent for Erotic Art.

He did paint famous individuals of his time i.e. The first Hungarian Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth, to name just two. But I would rather peruse some of his more, how shall I say.........Entertaining Masterpieces. Some of which are depicted below.

Zichy's forté seemed to lie with capturing the intimate moments of the couples embraces or the portraying a scene of the individuals just before climax, a truly remarkable gift. As one looks at the drawings, you can feel the intensity, the passion, the moment of tension between the couple just before the explosion of ultimate pleasaure.

Zichy Lived from 1897 to 1906 and left us with some exotic and wonderful images in his lifetime, but he will live figuratively for longer still, in his drawings and paintings.

Please leave a comment if you see or read something you like, or just to say Hi.

Vintage Erotic Postcards

I have an affinity for Vintage Erotic Postcards, I have viewed many and have a small collection myself. I would love to obtain some more if anyone in Cyberspace is looking to offload/sell some of their collection.

I can't answer the reason why I like these?? I try to revert back to the time before TV, when Erotica was hidden. I imagine a distinguished Gentleman holding the card that I now hold in my hand, what was he thinking? Was he thinking about Basketball? I think not.
I would imagine he inserted himself into the photographic situation taking his position and including himself in the fantasy surrounding him, of course he would have locked the study door to avoid interruption as he gazed, transfixed, caught in his thoughts. He would have looked upon the ladies, scanning the photo and creating the 3D image in his mind. (Don't scroll down, it's getting hot)

 Would he picture himself as the man in the photo, although the guy in the postcard above seems more interested in the lighting than the lady with him (Maybe that's why he's missing the target?) We all know men can't concentrate on two things at once. Excuse me, I digress, I wonder did the Gentleman, sitting in his large office chair take a chance and re-enact, in some part, what he was viewing?

How involved did he get? Maybe his breeches where a little tight and he needed to loosen them? Ok, that's a feeble excuse but it could have been genuine!
Maybe he was egotistical and obsessed with the size of his member, and imagined it so............

Alas! If only.........Or maybe he just used them for quick sexual satisfaction where he could indulge his tastes without fear or recrimination. What ever he did with them, I'm just glad they survived to this day, relatively clean to pass on to collectors like myself.

Thanks for taking the time to read this (hopefully) humorous  post. I thought I'd stick the odd one in, pardon the pun, rather than have all serious posts but let me know which one you prefer, just leave a comment.
Till next time................Bye for now!

Calling all Félicien Rops Fans, HELP!

Hi All,
I was lucky enough to acquire a number of items of the legend that is Félicien Rops recently. Whilst perusing carefully through the box of prints, books and miscellaneous items, I stumbled upon a very interesting find!! The surprise was a very unique (Or at least I think it is?) Carte De Viste aka CDV, hidden within a book between some prints.
Hence, the call for all those more knowledgeable than myself with regard to Mr. Rops, Please have a look and study the picture below and see if you come to the same conclusion as myself that the individual depicted in the photo is none other than Rops himself. Of course, there is no identification on the CDV as to the identification of this confident male.
I appreciate, as always, all your comments and guidance. So I leave it in your capable hands!
Thanks again for checking out my page.

Alberto Vargas, Pin-Up Extraordinaire

Alberto Vargas, A man born in Peru and a prolific Pin-Up artist, was born in the year 1896 and had a wonderful and colourful career and reached fame when creating his "Vargas Girls" for Esquire during WWII, which incidently were adapted for the the aircraft nose art of the said war.

But before his famous Erotic/Risqué drawings, Varagas had a number of "Ordinary" jobs which included his first employment by Adelson Hat Company where his forté was watercolours and pen. He soon moved to freelance work painting windows etc when he was snapped up to portray the "Ziegfield Follies". It was onward and upward from there and a quick search of the internet will provide many colourful images of these beautiful ladies drawn in Alberto's unique style. In 1927, Vargas heard the call of Hollywood and was called upon to create images for various movie advertisement posters including the aclaimed "The Sin of Nora". Shown Below.

Vargas was simply one of the finest Artists of his Genre which is still proven by his popularity today amongst collectors. Let me know what YOU think!

Édouard-Henri Avril AKA Paul Avril

Édouard-Henri Avril (21 May 1843–1928) was a painter and commercial artist. But his Erotic works were issued under the pseudonym Paul Avril after being commissioned to illustrate 80 vignettes for Théophile Gautier's novel Fortunio. His choice of name caused confusion at time because of his brothers name Paul Victor Avril. Edouard-Henri's reputation was soon established and he received many commissions to illustrate both major authors and the so-called "galante literature" of the day, a form of erotica. These books were typically sold in small editions on a subscription basis and usually organised by collectors.

Avril illustrated many works including John Cleland's "Fanny Hill" printed in 1908, a story of a passive woman's sexual awakening. Below is just one of the many illustrations from Fanny Hill "Fanny Emboldens William".

Avril's major work was "De Figuris Veneris" (On the figures of Venus) first published in 1824, which was an anthology of ancient Roman & Greek erotic writings, below we show the main illustrated lithograph of the title. Paul illustrated the French edition by Charles Hirsch in 1907. Avril died at Le Raincy, Paris, France in 1928 leaving behind an erotic legacy that is still being enjoyed by Erotica Lovers today.