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292<br />
intimité<br />
rocío pérez vallejo - photo Bruno BisanG, alBert Watson anD MarK arBeit<br />
disrobed and displayed in all its glory, the human<br />
form, is undeniably the most persistent motif in<br />
western art history. Museums dedicated to ancient<br />
and modern art are populated with nudes<br />
accomplished in a vast selection of media. we<br />
can’t get tired of human figure being present<br />
in an everyday basis, but how do we cope with<br />
concepts related to nudity. words that somehow<br />
resemble or ring a bell on the personal “syllabus”<br />
inside our minds? intimacy is usually seen and<br />
experienced in small dosis, and as the result of<br />
a sometimes casual circumstance but few times<br />
“being intimate” is conceived as a reward, as the<br />
result of a bond that is formed through knowledge<br />
and experience of the other. eventhough<br />
scholars distinguish between four different forms<br />
of intimacy (physical, emotional, cognitive and<br />
experiential) we, earthly creatures, usually identify<br />
with the first category. should we think about<br />
artists like Marina abramovic, a clear example of<br />
intimate perfomer? or g.bataille, that brings to<br />
light the work of other well known figures from<br />
different spheres and times? i like to think about<br />
bernini’s sculpture “ecstasy of saint teresa”, depicting<br />
the saint lying on a cloud as we are witnessing<br />
her experience of religious ecstasy in her<br />
encounter with the angel. irving lavin said “…it<br />
becomes a point of contact between earth and<br />
heaven, between matter and spirit”.<br />
should we accept the invitation and start being<br />
intimate? Unveil and recognize ourselves in the<br />
person next to us.<br />
“…i saw in his hand<br />
a long spear oF gold,<br />
and at the iron’s point<br />
there seeMed to be<br />
a little Fire.<br />
he appeared to Me<br />
to be thrUsting it<br />
at tiMes into My heart,<br />
and to pierCe My Very<br />
entrails”.<br />
saint teresa of avila.<br />
293