Bobnearled = Bobinder

[bobinder]

In response to popular demand (and probably a bit overdue) here's the Bobnearled = Bobinder thread. I'll keep the title simple so it's easy to find and confirms that both Bobs are one and the same. I was trying to avoid the attentions of the Artworld Gestapo until recently, which accounts for the pseudonym. I think their insatiable investigators have now decided to go hunting down hardcore porn instead of jumping to imaginative conclusions about my own relatively traditional oeuvre.
I thought about how I might make this thread a bit different from my Bobnearled Deviantart gallery, but concluded, at the risk of repetition, that it will be broadly similar, and I think that is probably what people will want and expect to see. Whilst much of my stuff is frankly gratuitously violent, some is intended to convey an element of cultural depth, so there may be moments when it gets a bit intellectual. I think Cruxology is a subject worthy of serious study as well as being rather enjoyable as entertainment, and I am open to suggestions and contributions from others.
Here is one of my earliest crux pictures, going back four or five years, to the wet paint days before I had a computer. It is pure, unadulterated gouache watercolour on A4. Entitled 'Traumatich nach Henri Fuseli' it is based on a pencil sketch by Henri Fuseli of a reclining nymph. I've tried to track down the original study on the net but cannot find it - perhaps someone else can? Fuseli was to the nineteenth century Romantic Art movement what Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley were to the Gothic Horror novel. Instantly identifiable within the London art scene due to his German accent, Fuseli realised traumatic nightmare scenes in paint on canvas and excelled at this. I have given my subject a typically Fuseli face and my title is in recognition of the master. I believe we get the English word 'trauma' from the German 'traum' meaning dream (or even disturbing dream/nightmare). I am still uncertain whether or not it should be 'Traumatisch' instead, but no doubt somebody will clarify this.
Painting convincing flesh tones is always personally challenging, especially when the sandy background is of a similar colour. I tried to contrast the vulnerability of the naked body with the unrelenting arid heat of the desert sand, including the feet of executioners and audience to provide depth and distance. The feet belong to impersonal characters, devoid of any feelings or faces to express them. The victim stares directly at us, upside down, disorientated, and the picture offers no explanation beyond the traumatic for the impending execution. Enjoy...

 

[Wragg]

Excellent, Bob, I've hit 'watch thread'.

Looking forward to this!

 

[Thessela]

So beautiful
She is looking straight into my eyes!
Am I next?

 

[Madiosi]

Today i found on one of my harddisks. I think, that older BB-Artwork.

 

[malins]

whether or not it should be 'Traumatisch' instead, but no doubt somebody will clarify this.

'Traumatisch' would be right for 'traumatic'...Henry Fuseli was actually Swiss (Johann Heinrich Füssli) but adapted his name to be better marketable abroad.

I believe we get the English word 'trauma' from the German 'traum' meaning dream (or even disturbing dream/nightmare).

'Trauma' came into medical vocabulary straight from a Greek word for 'injury'. Though it was in the late 19th century with the development of psychology that it also began to be used in the mental context. English 'Dream' and German 'Traum' do have the same Germanic word root, which however goes back to a term meaning among others, 'deluding/deceiving' that still shows up in German as 'trügen'.

Anyway, it's an impressive drawing, a traumatic experience as well as a disturbing but fascinating dream...

 

[Eulalia]

'Traumatisch' would be right for 'traumatic'...Henry Fuseli was actually Swiss (Johann Heinrich Füssli) but adapted his name to be better marketable abroad.

'Trauma' came into medical vocabulary straight from a Greek word for 'injury'. Though it was in the late 19th century with the development of psychology that it also began to be used in the mental context. English 'Dream' and German 'Traum' do have the same Germanic word root, which however goes back to a term meaning among others, 'deluding/deceiving' that still shows up in German as 'trügen'.

Anyway, it's an impressive drawing, a traumatic experience as well as a disturbing but fascinating dream...

I agree about trauma, that's from Greek and not related to Traum, dream.
But the association with trügen isn't certain -
Old English drēam > 'dream' is certainly cognate with Traum, Old Norse draumr etc.,
but OE drēam also means 'joy, merriment, music', and it's not certain whether that's the same word
or they're a pair of homonyms.

 

[malins]

but OE drēam also means 'joy, merriment, music', and it's not certain whether that's the same word
or they're a pair of homonyms.

Yes, I see the English word has shifted its meaning. That's very... trügerisch. Such a shift in meaning isn't documented in German at all, and the connection of the word roots seems mainstream. In fact with 'draumr' sometimes being explained as "Traum but more properly Trug-bild (i.e. deceiving image)", and here's something I found in English that mentions the same... http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dream

 

[Hondoboot2]

In response to popular demand (and probably a bit overdue) here's the Bobnearled = Bobinder thread. I'll keep the title simple so it's easy to find and confirms that both Bobs are one and the same. I was trying to avoid the attentions of the Artworld Gestapo until recently, which accounts for the pseudonym. I think their insatiable investigators have now decided to go hunting down hardcore porn instead of jumping to imaginative conclusions about my own relatively traditional oeuvre.
I thought about how I might make this thread a bit different from my Bobnearled Deviantart gallery, but concluded, at the risk of repetition, that it will be broadly similar, and I think that is probably what people will want and expect to see. Whilst much of my stuff is frankly gratuitously violent, some is intended to convey an element of cultural depth, so there may be moments when it gets a bit intellectual. I think Cruxology is a subject worthy of serious study as well as being rather enjoyable as entertainment, and I am open to suggestions and contributions from others.
Here is one of my earliest crux pictures, going back four or five years, to the wet paint days before I had a computer. It is pure, unadulterated gouache watercolour on A4. Entitled 'Traumatich nach Henri Fuseli' it is based on a pencil sketch by Henri Fuseli of a reclining nymph. I've tried to track down the original study on the net but cannot find it - perhaps someone else can? Fuseli was to the nineteenth century Romantic Art movement what Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley were to the Gothic Horror novel. Instantly identifiable within the London art scene due to his German accent, Fuseli realised traumatic nightmare scenes in paint on canvas and excelled at this. I have given my subject a typically Fuseli face and my title is in recognition of the master. I believe we get the English word 'trauma' from the German 'traum' meaning dream (or even disturbing dream/nightmare). I am still uncertain whether or not it should be 'Traumatisch' instead, but no doubt somebody will clarify this.
Painting convincing flesh tones is always personally challenging, especially when the sandy background is of a similar colour. I tried to contrast the vulnerability of the naked body with the unrelenting arid heat of the desert sand, including the feet of executioners and audience to provide depth and distance. The feet belong to impersonal characters, devoid of any feelings or faces to express them. The victim stares directly at us, upside down, disorientated, and the picture offers no explanation beyond the traumatic for the impending execution. Enjoy...

I also just hit "watch thread". This is excellent Bobinder!

Great early artwork, I really like this one.

Very erotic, I like the curves, the way she has her hip and leg turned. I like the process of the crucifixion, the steps leading up to the raising of the cross. I especially like the victim on the ground, getting ready for the final stages of the crucifixion.

 

[phlebas]

I also just hit "watch thread". This is excellent Bobinder!

Great early artwork, I really like this one.
View attachment 374523
Very erotic, I like the curves, the way she has her hip and leg turned. I like the process of the crucifixion, the steps leading up to the raising of the cross. I especially like the victim on the ground, getting ready for the final stages of the crucifixion.

Yes Hondo, Bob has rendered her curves beautifully. She remains feminine, alluring, powerful even in this preparation for the cross. Helpless yet able to capture our attention. We have to watch, we are drawn in, we are also helpless!

 

[bobinder]

So beautiful
She is looking straight into my eyes!
Am I next?

There is always a strong likelihood of that, Thessela.

 

[bobinder]

Today i found on one of my harddisks. I think, that older BB-Artwork.
View attachment 374464 View attachment 374465 View attachment 374466 View attachment 374467 View attachment 374468 View attachment 374469 View attachment 374470 View attachment 374471

Yes, indeed. #1 is from the East of Eden series and the drawings are from Seditio Sicarii. #3 is after a Dukenukem pic.

Yes, I see the English word has shifted its meaning. That's very... trügerisch. Such a shift in meaning isn't documented in German at all, and the connection of the word roots seems mainstream. In fact with 'draumr' sometimes being explained as "Traum but more properly Trug-bild (i.e. deceiving image)", and here's something I found in English that mentions the same... http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dream

Thank you, that's fascinating and a bit spooky in an art-fantasy sort of way. I hadn't appreciated all those conotations but I'm here to learn too. Meanwhile, here's another early painting:-

East of Eden 1

'East of Eden 1' is probably my earliest mounted crux picture, and the only one to date with a facing crux pose. A gouache water colour on A4, I have crammed some heavy symbolism in there. Eve pays the penalty for the sufferings of mankind following the expulsion from Eden. I deferred to the historical theory which considers that such a Roman style execution would be inflicted on a naked Judeo-Christian matriarch in ancient Judea with her face towards the wood, not only to preserve her modesty but because it was particularly shameful for a woman to be executed in public. The fertile hills of Eden rise inaccessible in the distance beyond the barren wasteland, and the bitten apple and serpent have followed her to the foot of the low cross like a curse.

The cross is a crude but functional affair, avoiding any suggestion of the neatly planed timbers or high quality joinery of traditional art. A round stake with a split log fitted in a fork at the top are quite sufficient for the purpose, and the rough wood enhances the cruelty of the ordeal. This style has become a consistent motif in my crux art. The subject of Adam and Eve has provided numerous artists over the years with an excuse to paint erotic nudes and this is no exception. The anatomy is not entirely satisfactory although I was pleased with the overall effect. The picture can be interpreted as a commentary on the treatment of women within the Judeo-Christian tradition. The mother of mankind is accused, found guilty, punished and abandoned by man - there is no sign of Adam. But such considerations are subjective and each viewer is entitled to an individual interpretation.

 

[bobinder]

I also just hit "watch thread". This is excellent Bobinder!

Great early artwork, I really like this one.
View attachment 374523
Very erotic, I like the curves, the way she has her hip and leg turned. I like the process of the crucifixion, the steps leading up to the raising of the cross. I especially like the victim on the ground, getting ready for the final stages of the crucifixion.

Thank you. I'll post the original Fuseli nymph study for comparison if I ever find it, unless somebody else finds it first. But on the subject of mythological maidens, here's some more:-

Song of the Siren 1

“And as I was drifting past the Lorelei
I heard those slinky sirens wail, ooo
So look out sailor when you hear them croon
You'll never be the same again, oh no
Their crazy music drives you insane, this way!”

(from 'Editions of You' by Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music 1973)

Visitors to my Deviantart gallery will notice the same girls appearing in different pictures. One of the earliest multiple 'Editions' was provided by the girl in 'Siren', who also appears in 'East of Eden 16' and 'Via Appia 7'. 'East of Eden 16' was an early crux portrait in gouache watercolour on A4 from the days when I was struggling to represent convincing flesh tones and anatomy. The background sky is an attempt at a washed out pink sunset - the end of a dying girl at the end of a dying day. 'L'Origine du Monde' (also gouache on A4) was intended as a complimentary piece depicting her lower half, nailed to a well-used, pierced and stained stipes.

The origin of 'L'Origine' goes back to Gustave Courbet's 1867 painting, 'The Origin of the World' (he was French so the original title probably was also) which was described by Maxime du Comp as, "A painting of the torso of a nude woman with legs apart, concentrating on the sexual area... the front view of a naked woman extraordinarily convulsed with emotion, painted in a remarkable style and handled con amore as the Italians say, which represents the very last word in realism." What Maxime du Comp was trying to say was that Courbet's picture was the first notable graphic depiction of female pubic hair, the existence of which artists had previously either denied or ignored in their search for the ideal feminine form. Courbet's painting appears here at image 3. The title of my 'L'Origine' is a nod to Courbet on the occasion of my first attempt at this close up. I think Courbet did a better job.

The well-known sirens of Greek mythology were dangerous maidens who lured unwary sailors to shipwreck and death with their enchanting songs (see Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ and Circe’s references to cannibalism by the sirens). For 'Siren' I avoided the graphic depiction of pubic hair by producing a half-length nude (gouache on A4 again) in a further attempt at convincing flesh tones this time in relatively bright daylight. My pictures rarely turn out exactly as intended but I do like the enigmatic look which emerged in her face. Has she just devoured the erstwhile owner of that skull? Is she auditioning for a nude female production of Hamlet? So many questions...

 

[bobinder]

Song of the Siren 2

My Siren eventually appeared in an early manipulation, 'Via Appia 7'. I was still thinking in terms of a pink sunset but only had Windows Paint and Openoffice Draw to work with. So I could change the colour of the sky in Openoffice. But because I didn't have Photoshop, I ended up changing the colour of the whole picture because separating anything out involved free-form cutting in Paint with a steady hand followed by re-pasting (with no facility for re-adjustment) and lots of blending and repairing. I had to do all this in order to create the image in the first place but I didn't want to repeat the process for colour adjustments later. I decided that nightmarish pink sunset lighting would highlight the torment of the crucified girl, and any pink/red colour adjustments later would not be detrimental to her pale flesh tones or bloodstains. No artistic pretensions this time - just pure gratuitous violence with an erotic twist.

Frequently I get lucky. I found just the right twisted body to express the torment. This was also a near perfect body double for the girl I had in mind, although I had to create the shoulders and raised arms partly from scratch in Paint, using the mouse as a brush. Then I realised that my portrait photograph was in black and white... There was no option but to colour the face and hair manually in Paint - I had to change the relaxed expression into a tormented scream anyway. The result was the first pink sunset version. Considering all the work involved, I was quite pleased with it but there was no fooling the fresh eyes of the critics. The sunset just wasn't convincing. So I thought, why not reverse the colour process on the finished picture using Openoffice, but make it darker? The result revealed a rather pale crucifix, but a plausible one in moonlight if I considered it a nocturne. So, two for one and as early efforts I quite like them both.

 

[Madiosi]

Song of the Siren 2

My Siren eventually appeared in an early manipulation, 'Via Appia 7'. I was still thinking in terms of a pink sunset but only had Windows Paint and Openoffice Draw to work with. So I could change the colour of the sky in Openoffice. But because I didn't have Photoshop, I ended up changing the colour of the whole picture because separating anything out involved free-form cutting in Paint with a steady hand followed by re-pasting (with no facility for re-adjustment) and lots of blending and repairing. I had to do all this in order to create the image in the first place but I didn't want to repeat the process for colour adjustments later. I decided that nightmarish pink sunset lighting would highlight the torment of the crucified girl, and any pink/red colour adjustments later would not be detrimental to her pale flesh tones or bloodstains. No artistic pretensions this time - just pure gratuitous violence with an erotic twist.

Frequently I get lucky. I found just the right twisted body to express the torment. This was also a near perfect body double for the girl I had in mind, although I had to create the shoulders and raised arms partly from scratch in Paint, using the mouse as a brush. Then I realised that my portrait photograph was in black and white... There was no option but to colour the face and hair manually in Paint - I had to change the relaxed expression into a tormented scream anyway. The result was the first pink sunset version. Considering all the work involved, I was quite pleased with it but there was no fooling the fresh eyes of the critics. The sunset just wasn't convincing. So I thought, why not reverse the colour process on the finished picture using Openoffice, but make it darker? The result revealed a rather pale crucifix, but a plausible one in moonlight if I considered it a nocturne. So, two for one and as early efforts I quite like them both.

I quite like them both.

 

[old slave]

I like the nocturne, so cruel, left alone in the cold and dark, eventually nothing to see or hear, only working sense is pain.

Harrowing.

 

[chelior]

Song of the Siren 2

My Siren eventually appeared in an early manipulation, 'Via Appia 7'...

I prefer the first (Via Appia 7d)

 

[Hondoboot2]

Song of the Siren 2

My Siren eventually appeared in an early manipulation, 'Via Appia 7'. I was still thinking in terms of a pink sunset but only had Windows Paint and Openoffice Draw to work with. So I could change the colour of the sky in Openoffice. But because I didn't have Photoshop, I ended up changing the colour of the whole picture because separating anything out involved free-form cutting in Paint with a steady hand followed by re-pasting (with no facility for re-adjustment) and lots of blending and repairing. I had to do all this in order to create the image in the first place but I didn't want to repeat the process for colour adjustments later. I decided that nightmarish pink sunset lighting would highlight the torment of the crucified girl, and any pink/red colour adjustments later would not be detrimental to her pale flesh tones or bloodstains. No artistic pretensions this time - just pure gratuitous violence with an erotic twist.

Frequently I get lucky. I found just the right twisted body to express the torment. This was also a near perfect body double for the girl I had in mind, although I had to create the shoulders and raised arms partly from scratch in Paint, using the mouse as a brush. Then I realised that my portrait photograph was in black and white... There was no option but to colour the face and hair manually in Paint - I had to change the relaxed expression into a tormented scream anyway. The result was the first pink sunset version. Considering all the work involved, I was quite pleased with it but there was no fooling the fresh eyes of the critics. The sunset just wasn't convincing. So I thought, why not reverse the colour process on the finished picture using Openoffice, but make it darker? The result revealed a rather pale crucifix, but a plausible one in moonlight if I considered it a nocturne. So, two for one and as early efforts I quite like them both.

I also like them both, but if I had to choose, I would go with the first one.

 

[bobinder]

I prefer the first (Via Appia 7d)

Thank you. That was early days for my manips. I may revisit it one day. Meanwhile, a variation on a theme:-

Death and the Maiden 1

'Death and the Maiden' is the title of a number of old master paintings, notably a proliferation during the worst excesses of the Black Death. Whilst I have not used the title myself, the theme is implied in much of my work. Traditionally the composition has a skeleton dragging a young, frequently naked girl away by the hair, to eternal damnation. In the days when fatal illness was associated with God's punishment for sin these pictures served a moralising purpose, some artists going to great lengths to contrast the skeletal Grim Reaper with a temptingly attractive nubile female nude. It was a great opportunity for dark, erotic art - young, beautiful and about to die (sounds familiar?)

Whilst not a crux picture, 'Pyracie 4' (A4 gouache water colour) is plausibly an example of the Death and the Maiden genre, with an attempt to blend symbolism and realism. I have attempted stark realism in the tide marks and marine growth on the wooden post and stone embankment, to imply a hanging at the high water mark of London's Execution Dock. Three tides had to wash over the bodies of those executed for piracy before they could be removed for gibbeting.

The bright sunlight of the world she leaves highlights the youthful body destined to rot in chains, whilst casting deep contrasting shadows on the wall, her own containing the skull and crossed bones, once the emblem of her piracy and now gazing sightless upon her as the symbol of her death. Her entire shadow represents the shrouded Grim Reaper who has come to claim her. The strong verticals leave us in no doubt that her full weight is suspended by the rope. By positioning the noose at one side, I succeeded in putting a stretch into her neck, whilst keeping the rope taught in line with the centre of her body. The anatomy lets the picture down slightly and the position of the head is not entirely convincing. Perhaps the erotic aspects make the crime of piracy appear attractive?

 

[bobinder]

Death and the Maiden 2

If the universal emblem of human death is the skull, it repeats it's symbolism from the ancient Aztecs to modern hazard warnings, and art history is littered with them. I have included a few in my East of Eden paintings, as if the implication of impending death is not sufficiently strong in execution illustrations! I focussed on them in detail views contrasting the Death's head with the feet of a live victim, although I found both skulls and feet difficult to draw and paint convincingly. 'East of Eden 21' and '22' are the only finished manipulations to date including a skull. As they were technical developments of the 'East of Eden 20' painting I used the same skull but reworked it digitally.

The inclusion of discarded skulls and bones in crux art (e.g. Jedakk - isn't he amazing?) makes for great visual impact. As dedicated ancient execution sites were used repeatedly, depending on their location, they would accumulate vast quantities of human remains which were denied burial, the corpses putrefying on the crosses until the bones fell to the ground. Such a sinister spectacle, complete with carrion birds and the odour of decay, would inspire terror in new victims being forced on the scene - their own fate displayed before their eyes. It was the same principle which applied in England prior to the Gibbeting Act which curtailed the public display of executed corpses.

This made me wonder why, as an artist exploring the tension between beauty and decay, I had overlooked the visual opportunities of skulls and bones in all my pictures since 'East of Eden 22'. Why are these visual statements entirely absent from the Via Appia and Ivdaea Capta series? Part of the answer is dependent on location, as noted above. The Via Appia, mile upon mile punctuated by the six thousand crosses of Crassus' victims, was not a specifically designated execution site until the mass execution which made it famous. My Via Appia backgrounds indicate nothing more specific than the view beyond the roadside (although one is perhaps incongruously mountainous and others suggest a public park.)

Ivdaea Capta is more complicated. Jewish Law is very specific about the requirement for burial rites notwithstanding the cause of death. So can I justify my clean and tidy execution sites in ancient Judaea? The answer is probably not. The title 'Ivdaea Capta' indicates that the Romans have suppressed the revolt, conquered Judaea and are somewhat beyond respecting Jewish sensibilities. And if Pax Romana decrees, 'No burials', then Jewish Law is very specific about avoiding contact with the dead - physically and spiritually. It has been suggested, amongst other speculations, that Golgotha - 'the place of a skull' - derives its name from the vast quantity which were scattered around that site - and that was before the AD 70 revolt. Perhaps I could argue that some of my Judaean sites are incidental rather than regular execution grounds? Meanwhile here is an experiment in beauty and decay - it appears that I am in need of a pile of old bones for manips - does anyone know of any stock images? (Preferably human.)

 

[Madiosi]

Thank you. That was early days for my manips. I may revisit it one day. Meanwhile, a variation on a theme:-

Death and the Maiden 1

'?

She has her peace.