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Alice Kiss - Crux Legend

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Jollyrei said:
Those are gorgeous large images.
I always find myself just gazing at one photograph, not always the same one, but Alice is so small and vulnerable looking and yet so vigorous and expressive on the cross. That comes across in the still photographs, almost better as a suggestion of movement than in the video (which I had not seen until now). In some ways, that combination of characteristics makes Alice the ideal crux girl - certainly that aura of youth, innocence, and vigour being spent on a cross makes for a very erotic and sensual image.:):very_hot:
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Thanks for your observations, Jolly. I always feel as if I want to freeze-frame the video continually, just to absorb the spectacle of each pose, to view the contortions and see how the muscles are working. Of course the video screen shots do not compare in quality to the photo shoot, but they help to 'fill in the gaps' between the still images.

Alice's range of movement is impressive. She was a slim, 5'4", nineteen-year-old, weighing just eight stones, and she had great stamina. Nevertheless we can see how she worked hard and exhausted herself - she really wanted to give an energetic performance.

The only screen shot I took myself is the close up of her face. I trawled the net for the others, and worked out how some of them formed sequences. They were much smaller than we see here, and, compared to the one I took, they were all slightly compressed horizonally. Once I realised about the aspect ratio distortion, I decided to compensate by compressing them vertically after enlarging them.

These three versions of the same picture demonstrate the process -

D1 98d0d275a10d0a96ceacef7933f3b1c0.jpg D2 CF5 98d0d275a10d0a96ceacef7933f3b1c0.jpg D3 WCF5 98d0d275a10d0a96ceacef7933f3b1c0.jpg

Some of the less-blurred screen shots might inspire new manipulations?
 
bobinder said:
Alice's range of movement is impressive. She was a slim, 5'4", nineteen-year-old, weighing just eight stones, and she had great stamina. Nevertheless we can see how she worked hard and exhausted herself - she really wanted to give an energetic performance.
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Yes, she showed tremendous energy, putting a lot into that performance. How much of that ended up as acting, and how much was ultimately just imposed on her by the cross is, for me, an interesting point of speculation. Nevertheless, it seems to have been physically quite hard on her in the end, as you said. I really hope she enjoyed the experience and looks back on it now with some pride.
 
Tales From The Hanging Tree - 3 'The Reparation Farm' (continued)

Having featured originally at the beginning of Tree's 'The Reparation Farm' (as the image representing Barbara Moore's proposed crucifixion at the UVM Commencement Ceremony) Alice makes two further appearances, in the triple crucifixion scene towards the end. The first of these (#1) represents Barb again, at the moment when she chastises Theresa from her cross with the words,

“Who do you think you are; the female Jesus sent to save the reparations slaves?”

RF3-1 THT crux 221.jpg

This is a subtle reworking of my first sepia version of 'Ivdaea Capta 12' (#2) in which I used the popular 'Alice with bared teeth' portrait from MPL's 'Basic Instinct' by Alexander Lobanov. For the story illustration, the original manipulation has been reversed and the titulus deleted, the cross being reconstructed in a form and style consistent with Messaline's Premium French Crucifixion Wood.

RF3-2 Ivdaea Capta 12 etude 1 sepia -7-15.jpg

Alice makes yet another appearance in a later episode detailing the outcome of this crucifixion. This time, Tree has used a Makar image of Alice to represent the character of Theresa, hanging on the centre cross (#3.) Kathy, Barb and Theresa have been crucified together on the mound at the Reparation Farm, but due to the effects of a spectacular thunderstorm, the first two are killed outright, Barb being blown off her cross altogether. Tree describes the scene as he encounters it the following morning:-

As I near the plateau I see Theresa writhing and Kathy Summers with a wood shank driven into her heart. ‘What the fuck is going on’ I ask myself as I finish the climb.

RF3-3 THT crux 307.jpg

I see Barb lying at the base of Theresa’s cross and say “How the hell did she get here?”

Barb's body is concealed by the crest of the hill, and the crucified Kathy is represented by a 3D figure (I have not yet identified the source for this.) The three crosses, made of Messaline's Premium French Crucifixion Wood, dominate the hilltop, and appear to have survived the thunderstorm in far better condition than their occupants. The publicity value of such a scene cannot be underestimated, even when the character of Tree expresses some disppointment regarding the outcome of his professional execution. Messaline's own contribution to the story thread provides a re-manipulation of the Tree picture (#4) to include herself, reassuring the author:-

RF3-4 THT Messa crux 307.jpg

Smoking her first Mme Wu cigarette of the day, in having a little mocking smile, Messa says :
"What the hell, Tree, but even if it's Premium Crucifixion Wood, it can't resist to such a huge lightning (30,000 amps!) and I also can't promise that it can... Even into my French forest, some of them are touched by lightning and they die..."

Messa develop's Tree's combination of photo manipulation with 3D imagery, by presenting herself in two-dimensional form. I believe this image of Messaline originates with a much earlier picture by Tree, a version of which appears earlier in the story. It is entirely consistent with the surreal quality of the visual elements - Messa sources a Tree manip of herself and re-manips it into another Tree manip to create what we see here (I think I've got that right?)

The identity of the crux star playing the part of Theresa (and others) shifts constantly throughout the illustrations for the story, contributing to the surreal visual experience, which is entirely consistent with the author's creative imagination. During this penultimate episode, Alice shares the role of Theresa with one of the stars of 'Crucified-Women.com', Krista Kass (#5) as manipulated by Tree. But ultimately, Alexander Lobanov (MPL) and Makar have yet again provided the source images of Alice for the manipulations which feature her.

RF3-5 THT crux 308.jpg
 

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Jollyrei's recent manipulations of Alice have yielded a number of variations on a theme. The consistent motif of this theme is one of Makar's pictures (#1) in which Alice hangs exhausted, with her arms at full stretch and her legs bent, knees apart.

This seems a natural position for an untensed, crucified body to occupy between upward thrusts, although it was not universally adopted by other crux models (notable exceptions being various Makar models and Welsh Webb's Shannon.) At only eight stones in weight, Alice had the agility to draw herself upright from this position. I suspect many crux girls quickly discovered how physically demanding it is to pull out from a full knee bend, and preferred to keep their legs reasonably straight for support.

Jollyrei kindly submitted his first interpretation using this pose, 'Alice-dream' (#2) to this thread on 17 May 2017, when it received numerous favourable comments. Seated on the ground with their backs to the stake, Alice and Koshka contemplate their impending fate, whilst the ethereal vision of the crucified Alice hangs on her cross at the upper left of the picture.

Four days later, Jollyrei posted three variations of a new manipulation (#3 - 5) in his thread, Filtered And Artistic Manips And Pictures Gallery describing them as, 'Different moods, featuring Alice and Kristina'. These employ Alice in the same crucified pose at the upper left, but this time the foreground is occupied by Orchid's Katrina, lying on her back with her patibulum beneath her shoulders. Again the theme is the girl about to be crucified in the foreground, confronted by the spectacle of the girl already crucified in the background.

The strong vertical composition is emphasised by the narrow, upright rectangular format, which presents the relative proportions of a door or a screen. Katrina's inverted body occupies the foreground, providing a dramatic contrast in orientation and scale which balances the composition. Her fixed stare is engaging as she looks expectantly at the viewer, inviting our participation in the scene. The dramatic elements are further intensified once we identify with the executioner's-eye view.

Jollyrei's variations present increasingly painterly interpretations of his manipulation, the low-key colouring resembling a water colour or ink wash effect, and the brightly coloured geometric design evoking the more oriental style of Gustave Klimt's panels. I hope he will add further comments here, but as he explained last year in his thread, these painting effects are all essentially computer generated:-

'I'm using fine art filters (mainly for fun) that were made for Prisma (an iPhone app), which I am running through an Android emulator on my computer. Some of the filters are great and let you do things simply that would take much more work in Photoshop... I let the computer convert things to "paint" form once I've composed my picture... I started doing them as a bit of fun, and to learn more photo processing techniques, but I am quite happy with how they turned out... Working with photo filters, the mood of the image can be changed... I am finding it interesting that different manips/images seem to have a natural mood, and using a particular effect on one image does not work as well for another image.'

With the exception of Steve Cordero's 'Didi' (reviewed in a previous post in this thread) these are so far the only 'computer/fine art' interpretations of Alice of which I am aware.

j-1 Alice_22_yelling_205.jpg j-2 Alice-dream01a.jpg j-3 Prisma19e.jpg j-4 Prisma19f.jpg j-5 Prisma19b.jpg​
 
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messaline said:
The night is coming and the fog is growing up, bringing some freshness to her tortured body ...
"How many time before my death? "She's thinking ...
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Messa version j-1 Alice_22_yelling_205.jpg

Thank you for this contribution, Messa - a fine interpretation, evoking a sense of exhaustion and isolation. The low layer of fog makes an effective contrast with the darkness spreading into the upper part of the image. We can imagine Alice's thoughts and feelings as we observe her anguish, whilst the scene implies a merciful clouding of her senses. Such atmospheric treatment suggests a deep empathy with the subject.
 
messaline said:
....... For me, the best series that you published, Bob ! Each photo is avesome and so much attracting me for crucifixion !!! (if I needed to be more attracted ;)) That's a pity that I wasn't knowing Makar ... Imagine ...:rolleyes:
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Thanks Messa, 'Alice and Koshka in the Crux Forrest' is certainly an inspiring film. Makar left us an impressive legacy, and I would love to hear what his models might have to say about their experiences of such demanding sessions. I am sure you and he would have worked very well together. Of course, ImageMaker is still running Cruxdreams... :)
 
bobinder said:
In 'Wall Street' (#2) saintjohny presents a post-apocalyptic vision of an urban environment reverting to a jungle, overwhelmed by both natural and human forces.
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I also used of this background by the past in my thread "My deep fantasy", but mine was perhaps more optimistic, with these hinds frolicking in the streets ...;)

s10 saintjohny Wall Street.jpg ... 45 My deep fantazy.jpg ... and without Alice:(? But with Messa:)!
 
With the application of filters and other treatments to Makar's pictures of Alice currently enjoying a popular vogue, I thought I might try a quick experiment myself. Attempting to improve a low resolution screenshot from the video was ambitious, but provided a learning curve in Photoshop techniques, and a challenge in terms of enhancement.

Alice is in constant movement throughout the video, so many of the screenshots suffer from subject motion blur in addition to the movement of the hand-held camera with its relatively limited colour range. Such screenshots are not the best source of still pictures, but potentially they provide us with extra images from the event.

I cropped the chosen picture to less than half the original size to obtain the tormented, full-face close-up, with tangled hair and raised arms - elements sufficient to portray the crucifixion. Since this was now a rather small image, I made a two-stage enlargement to 400% in Windows Paint, which softened the pixels. Using Paint and Photoshop in combination, I removed a large, prominent green leaf in the upper foreground and recreated Alice's hair and the tree trunk behind.

The resulting colour picture relies on a small application of the Photoshop gaussian blur filter to smooth out the pixellation and avoid defocusing the image altogether. This was followed by numerous small adjustments to colour balance, contrast, hue and saturation to achieve a more natural overall colouring. It was converted to greyscale in OpenOffice Draw where I knocked out the blue and green values in approximately 2:1 ratio and lightened the gamma setting, to create the sepia version.

Wx1_agony det200pcPS5.jpg Wx2_agony det200pcPS3 GS.jpg Wx3_agony det200pcPS3 sepia-7-15.jpg
 
Yes, what people dont often aperceive is that manips are taking a long work : alas, they too often come and quickly consume them , like in a Super market ...:(
Anyway, we know well that we are working for our own pleasure in first ...;)
 
messaline said:
Yes, what people dont often aperceive is that manips are taking a long work : alas, they too often come and quickly consume them , like in a Super market ...:(
Anyway, we know well that we are working for our own pleasure in first ...;)
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Ah, now that I do realise, Messa.

I tried a manip, once:
downloadfile.jpeg

It took ages and was absolutely useless! :doh:
 
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messaline said:
I also used of this background by the past in my thread "My deep fantasy", but mine was perhaps more optimistic, with these hinds frolicking in the streets ...;)

View attachment 511075 ... View attachment 511076 ... and without Alice:(? But with Messa:)!
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Thanks Messa - you have made a well-balanced composition. Naturally we would recognise a location which has been the scene of something as dramatic as your own crucifixion.

Similarly, when I saw Damian's expressive manipulation of Makar's Oxana being hoisted up on her cross (#2) I recognised the background as the same location in which Alice had been crucified in a manip by Wasserman (#1.) Welsh Webb's Shannon is being hauled to her own execution in this version, but both backgrounds are the same picture. This popular execution site is actually in New Zealand, since it is a crucifixion scene from 'Xena Warrior Princess.'

bi1 Alice & Shannon manip 2026177145.jpg bi2 Damian romandecadence395x.jpg
 
messaline said:
Yes, what people dont often aperceive is that manips are taking a long work : alas, they too often come and quickly consume them , like in a Super market ...:(
Anyway, we know well that we are working for our own pleasure in first ...;)
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It is a bit like food. A lot of work to prepare it and quickly eaten.
If one sees a manip it is easily taken for granted that everything matches well. One admires it but one doesn't realise how much work has gone into it.
On the other hand if the manip is bad it is immediately obvious what is wrong.
Therefore it's good that artists sometimes explain their workflows (Bobinder, Jollyrei, Madiosi and others). It encourages the wiewer to pay more attention to the picture and its details and to try to imagine how it has been done.

I have also tried to do some simple manips and some "hybrid" pictures (Poser with maniped background figures). The results were always poor and compared with them Wragg's manip is even a masterpiece.
Whatever I do it is always clearly visible that the components are originating from different sources.
Pasting layers is easy (well, sometimes) but the real art is making them match and obtaining a good composition.
 
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Wragg said:
I tried a manip, once:
View attachment 511083

It took ages and was absolutely useless! :doh:
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It's a bit like writing - the first one may not be quite what you envisaged, perhaps, but tenacity does pay off. I wonder if I can find my first manip. My recollection is that it wasn't that great, but I probably deleted it in a fit of pique.

Your picture might benefit from a soldier in back of the cross, pushing it as if to raise her. There's certainly nothing wrong with your model, nor with the background. A nice cheerful, sunny day for a crucifixion.
 
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