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Featured Events
Hudson Valley Bodyscape
at the Washingtonville Art Society, Washingtonville NY
on Sunday February 19th, 2006
Reprinted from the Times Herald-Record, a newspaper serving Orange County, New York. original article
February 20, 2006
Artist Adds to Body of Work
Washingtonville Art Society hosts annual 'Bodyscapes' exhibition
By Alexa James
Washingtonville - Jonathan Talbot's first time was yesterday, with his buddy's girlfriend.
It's not what you're thinking.
Talbot, an internationally renowned artist from Warwick best known for his multidimensional collage constructions, painted a classic landscape yesterday.
Lush green hills, blue skies, white sailboats drifting down the Hudson.
But his canvas?
The naked body of body artist, burlesque dancer and model Madelyn Greco.
"I appear before you today, having made the conscious decision to wear Jonathan's art rather than clothes," she said as Talbot's brush stroked chartreuse blades of grass onto her thigh.
The entire affair was witnessed by a packed parlor of visitors to the fourth annual Hudson Valley Bodyscapes exhibition, organized by the Washingtonville Art Society.
The society's shows have made waves in the past. Two years ago, a post office refused to mail its promotional post cards, which featured a female artist painting a portrait of a topless woman. But yesterday's performance piece drew art critics only.
"There is nothing inherently lewd about the human body or mother nature," said body artist Scott Fray, a longtime friend of Talbot who lives and works with Greco in North Carolina.
From tribal cultures to classic European artists, the practice of painting the naked human body dates back to the beginning of documented man and womankind.
Fray first encountered body art at an outdoor festival two years ago. A woman asked him to paint her arm. One thing led to another and ...
"I've never done anything that has as much punch and pow as this," he said. "It's really popular in Europe right now. I think this is a cultural wave that's about to happen. We're just a little bit behind."
Talbot positioned Greco on a high table like the famed "Maja Desnuda" ("Naked Maja") by Goya. The Spaniard painted both a clothed and a naked portrait of his muse. The naked one became the masterpiece now housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Like a sand sculpture, Talbot's work vanished within the hour. As the acrylic colors began to dry and crack, Greco slipped into a red satin robe and joined the audience to tour the rest of the exhibit's inanimate pieces.
The 2006 Hudson Valley Bodyscapes continues through March 1. For information, contact the Washingtonville Art Society at 926-3490.
Artist's Statement
by Jonathan Talbot
The title of the exhibition “Hudson Valley Bodyscapes” immediately brought to my mind the image of a body painted with a Hudson River School style landscape.
Years ago Ted Berger of the New York Foundation for the Arts told me that he considered artists to be society’s research and development division. If this is true, then it follows that as artists we must continually examine, among other things, the nature of what is artistically viable. We must also, by extension, examine the social impact of our work as well. Hudson Valley Bodyscape by Jonathan Talbot, painter and Madelyn Greco, canvas, is such an exploration. I thank Dani McIntosh and the Washingtonville Art Society for their
support.
I hope that Hudson Valley Bodyscape will be seen as a celebration of beauty.
A Statement from the Model as Artist
by Madelyn Greco
My own nudity in my work and in collaboration with others makes an overt statement about the human body and what is considered taboo in our society. On a more personal level, I wish bring to the forefront the idea of female freedom of expression in our body-obsessed culture.
I appear before you, today, having made the conscious decision to wear Jonathan’s art rather than clothes. I can only present this art to you as I am. I have no way of disguising or concealing whatever my perceived flaws may be. In allowing myself to embrace my body as my own, whole and loved, I am transformed into the art that you witness.
I ask you to review your own beautification rituals and consider what may or may not serve you well. I want women to consider that from self-love springs the well of all the other love we seek in life and that finding the beauty within is what informs the beauty without.
A Note on the Choice of the Pose
There is a nod to Spanish painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) in the choice of this pose. The Naked Maja similarly inspired controversy in it's time. Learn more by clicking here.
Click on each image to see an enlargement of that image
The Naked Maja by Francisco de Goya
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The Clothed Maja by Francisco de Goya
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illustration by Scott Fray |
preliminary study by Jonathan Talbot
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Click to see video of the performance
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