BeSPOKE 07

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intimité
rocío pérez vallejo - photo Bruno BisanG, alBert Watson anD MarK arBeit
disrobed and displayed in all its glory, the human
form, is undeniably the most persistent motif in
western art history. Museums dedicated to ancient
and modern art are populated with nudes
accomplished in a vast selection of media. we
can’t get tired of human figure being present
in an everyday basis, but how do we cope with
concepts related to nudity. words that somehow
resemble or ring a bell on the personal “syllabus”
inside our minds? intimacy is usually seen and
experienced in small dosis, and as the result of
a sometimes casual circumstance but few times
“being intimate” is conceived as a reward, as the
result of a bond that is formed through knowledge
and experience of the other. eventhough
scholars distinguish between four different forms
of intimacy (physical, emotional, cognitive and
experiential) we, earthly creatures, usually identify
with the first category. should we think about
artists like Marina abramovic, a clear example of
intimate perfomer? or g.bataille, that brings to
light the work of other well known figures from
different spheres and times? i like to think about
bernini’s sculpture “ecstasy of saint teresa”, depicting
the saint lying on a cloud as we are witnessing
her experience of religious ecstasy in her
encounter with the angel. irving lavin said “…it
becomes a point of contact between earth and
heaven, between matter and spirit”.
should we accept the invitation and start being
intimate? Unveil and recognize ourselves in the
person next to us.
“…i saw in his hand
a long spear oF gold,
and at the iron’s point
there seeMed to be
a little Fire.
he appeared to Me
to be thrUsting it
at tiMes into My heart,
and to pierCe My Very
entrails”.
saint teresa of avila.
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